Guest guest Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 The Times of India, Kolkata Sunday, July 19, 2009 THE ROAR DIES DOWN Tigers vanish from Orissa & Assam TIMES NEWS NETWORK Bhubaneswar/Guwahati: The number of tigers in two major reserves in Orissa and Assam has declined sharply in recent years. While the number of tigers in Orissa’s Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), the country’s fourth largest tiger reserve, has gone down to 61 from 101 in 2004, Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park in Assam has recorded a decline from 19 in 2000 to seven at present. Quoting a statement of Union minister of state for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh in the Rajya Sabha, a Press Information Bureau release said Similipal has an estimated 61 tigers, including 16 males, 31 females and 14 cubs. After the 2004 census, reserve authorities had claimed there were 101 tigers in Similipal, which covers an area of 2,750 sq km.The Centre’s disclosure comes amid the state government’s silence on the number of tigers in Similipal. Conservationists demanded a CBI inquiry to find out how the tiger population has dwindled in the sanctuary. “For the first time, the government has admitted the tiger population in Similipal has decreased considerably. Going by government data, Similipal has lost 40 tigers in 2004-2009. So, responsibility must be fixed on officers entrusted with protection duties,” said wildlife activist Biswajit Mohanty, who is also a member of National Board for Wildlife. When the Wildlife Institute of India, using camera tapping methods, counted only 20 tigers in 2006-07, the authorities blatantly refused to agree. Two years ago, the Comptroller and Auditor-General had also cast doubts over the tiger census figures, saying the pugmark method isn’t fool-proof. STR field director R Nagaraj Reddy said census figures were subject to scrutiny and further analysis. Aranyak, a biodiversity conservation and research organization in Assam, released its tiger-count report on Saturday. “According to the last count in 2000, Orang had 19 tigers. In the latest head count, we found only seven big cats in the sanctuary,” said M Feroz Ahmed of Aranyak. Orang is one of the four major tiger reserves in Assam apart from Manas, Nameri and Kaziranga. -- http://www.stopelephantpolo.com http://www.freewebs.com/azamsiddiqui Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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