re live bait Fwd: (IN) Trapped by the zoo Leopard/Jaguar... Panther?

[Guest guest]

Commenting on the recent dialogue about live bait here is a reposting

of two articles from the Hindu about a panther trapped near

Visakhapatnam. The Forest Department did want to use live bait but

Pradeep Nath convinced them to use meat instead. So it can

successfully be done without the live animal and that is a great idea

to use a sound recording as suggested in another post. A live animal,

even with a partition should not be used as would cause much fear for

the live animal!

 

This relates to another topic that of predators needing their food

live given to them in zoos and wildlife rescue sanctuaries and how is

that all changing and how it has been found (relatively recently?)

that they also accept dead animals. How many poor live mice and other

animals are thrown into cages for snakes, etc to sometimes linger

there for days as " live food " when it is found that frozen and more

humanely killed animals are accepted in certain situations?

thanks,

 

aapn , " Weintraub " <weintraub

wrote:

 

The Hindu called him/her a leopard in the previous articles and

then a jaguar and then mentioned panthers (Latin root word for Jaguar

or Leopard).

 

Below are the two articles that refer to the incident. Photos

of the animal are in the links below and yes he has spots!

 

First the Forest Dept. was saying they would use live bait (a

goat?) to lure and trap the animal but then Pradeep Nath of Visakha

SPCA wrote and they backed off and used mutton instead. ---

 

 

Date:31/01/2008 URL:

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/31/stories/2008013158460300.htm

 

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Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

 

Development pushes them to the brink Focus

 

 

G. Narasimha Rao

 

 

 

Loss of habitat makes wild animals stray into the city and

its surrounding areas, say environmentalists

 

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Environmentalists sound a caution

 

Need to maintain ecological balance stressed

 

-------

 

A file photo.

 

Nowhere to go: The male jaguar that was caught and put in Indira

Gandhi Zoological Park in the city looks forlorn.

 

VISAKHAPATNAM: Vizagites are proud of their city's

naturally-endowed beauty and tranquility. Development on big scale has

further enhanced the city's reputation and the number of tourists goes

up.

 

A Vizagite or a visitor is certainly impressed by the way the

city and its suburbs are developing. At the same time, they also see

the panthers straying into the city suburbs. This development is in

fact a warning, say environmentalists and animal lovers.

 

The warning is not about the threat the wild animals pose to

people but the damage people are doing to the naturally- endowed city

and its surroundings. The development is destroying the forests, hills

and the greenery which are all the natural habitat of wild animals

forcing them to come out.

 

When a panther was spotted on the BHPV premises a decade ago, it

was attributed to the greenery and people also felt proud of the

greenery the city is endowed with.

 

But during the last few years there are many incidents of

panthers being spotted in the city and its suburbs. If the panthers

are seen near Rushikonda, Thotlakonda, Timmapuram, the GVMC dumping

yard near Kapuluppada, and other places and even in Akkayyapalem a few

years ago it is due to their natural habitat having been disturbed or

even destroyed. The most recent one is the trapping of a panther near

Timmapuram on Tuesday night.

 

Dig at government

 

Man's inherent fear about the wild animals makes him attack the

animal, which retaliates causing injuries or even death.

 

But this unfortunate development can be avoided if the wild

animal's natural habitat is not disturbed. The Government has failed

to keep its promise that the hills in and around Visakhapatnam will

not be exploited for commercial use but handed over to the forest

department or other agencies to improve green cover.

 

But it is now busy disposing of the lands and hills. The result

is immediately felt.

 

Elephants from Orissa entering the Vizianagaram and Srikukulam

villages where they destroyed crops and caused some deaths, is also

due to their natural habitats having been disturbed, due to mining

activity. No one opposes development but it should not result in

forcing an animal-man conflict.

 

A former secretary to the Union Government and convenor of Forum

for Better Visakha E.A.S. Sarma wants the Government to draw lessons

from these developments.

 

Panthers straying into the human habitat is only a small issue

of the major problem. Besides the panthers' issue, the washing ashore

of turtles, Orissa elephants entering the Andhra border and sea surge

due to construction of a new port are all linked to the destruction of

natural habitat.

 

Eco protection

 

Government and its agencies must explore ways and also consult

the Forest Department, horticulturalists, Andhra University and other

institutions and organisations, particularly the villagers and

fishermen, to protect environment, he says.

 

" Rushikonda forest area might not have been declared a Reserve

Forest as it is a place where the panthers live. An animal is not like

a human being who can adjust himself to any environment. It becomes

aggressive if its life is disturbed and show abnormal behaviour, " says

Conservator of Forests P.V. Padmanabham.

 

There are about 10 panthers living on the hillocks of

Simhachalam, Kambalakonda, Yerrakonda, Seetakonda and other areas in

and around the city.

 

The panthers move to an isolated spot and colonise the area.

There are many such places around the city but now the same areas are

being approached by people and the animals are getting disturbed.

 

Divisional Forest Officer P.J. Vijayakar says: " The State

Government, VUDA, GVMC and other related agencies must hand over the

forests to the Forest Department or any other agency to improve the

greenery so that the ecological balance is maintained.

 

Visakhapatnam city has 16,000 hectares of Reserve Forest and if

it is protected, the greenery as well as wildlife will increase. "

 

© Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu

 

Date:30/01/2008 URL:

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/30/stories/2008013057810300.htm

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Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

 

Forest staff trap leopard

 

Photo: K.R. Deepak

 

End of the road: The leopard that was trapped by the forest

officials in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday night. —

 

VISAKHAPATNAM: A leopard was trapped near Thimmapuram late in

the night of Tuesday by the forest officials.

 

The leopard was trapped with the help of a cage and mutton as a

bait.

 

It is around two to three years old, according to Divisional

Forest Officer P.J. Vijaykar.

 

Of late, leopards have been straying into the human habitat from

the Kambalakonda range for want of food.

 

A couple of days ago a poclain operator, V. Lakshman of

Yellamanchili mandal, was injured when a leopard, possibly from the

Kambalakonda forest range, attacked him near NVP Law College in

Madhuravada and a 19-year-old girl faced similar situation on a hill

near Rushikonda.

 

A few days ago, Visakhapatnam range Conservator of Forests P.V.

Padmanabham said that there were at least seven leopards in the

Kambalakonda range.

 

Environmentalists, however, expressed their displeasure at the

capture of the leopard and opined that the government was busy

encroaching the hills and forest land to please MNCs without giving a

second thought for the environment and preserving the natural habitat

of the animals.