Summer, 2001
“…a tiger is a large hearted gentleman with boundless courage and that when he is exterminated- as exterminated he will be unless public opinion rallies to his support- India will be the poorer by having lost the finest of her fauna.”
Jim
Corbett in Man-Eaters of Kumaon
Newsletter
Number Five
Summer
2001
The Royal Bengal tiger of India, panthera tigris tigris,
it’s habitat, and those working tirelessly to protect it,
have had a rough time in the new millenium. Noted tiger
authority Valmik Thapar has written that over 200 tigers in the
wild were killed in India last year. Brijendra Singh,
Honorary Wildlife Warden at Corbett National Park says “All
we can do is to fight as valiantly as we can to save our national
animal.”
Belinda
Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India has written in
a Wildlife Crime Report that data thus far in the year 2001
indicates a significant increase in poaching of tigers and
leopards in India. Her data also shows that the “level of
sophistication in the illegal trade has increased
dramatically…recent seizures have revealed new modus
operandi in the skin and bone trade with an increasingly well
funded, controlled and organized crime network...with excellent
legal support for wildlife criminals- both poachers and
traders…and increased involvement of villages within and
adjoining tiger reserves…and the active involvement of
Nepalis and Tibetans.”
The
tigers to the north, in Nepal, are perhaps faring a bit better
but there is certainly no room for complacency. Nepal’s
political future is subject to a great deal of speculation.
It’s too soon to tell what the long term effect will be on
tiger conservation efforts of the June massacre of Nepal’s
royal family and the ongoing Maoist insurgency in the
countryside. Tiger expert and Nepal resident Dr. Charles McDougal
confides to me that poaching in the protected areas is under
control and limited to the periphery and suggests that
Nepal’s tigers are better off than anywhere in the world.
Nepal still lies on the trade route to extinction as much of the
information gathered in India shows. The market is not in
South Asia but the Far East and products must move north and east
through Nepal, Tibet, Burma, and elsewhere.
There is no question that the existence of the tiger in the wild continues to be threatened by loss of habitat due to economic development and population encroachment, lack of prey species, and the absence of the political will to save the tiger in most host countries. The most immediate threat, however, continues to be poaching to satisfy the market for traditional Chinese medicinal products and to meet the demands of a vigorously renewed market for skins in the Middle and Far East.
Centuries of
beliefs and customs empowered by myth die hard, but it is our
belief that if the tiger is left in peace, with a reasonable
amount of protected habitat, it will indeed survive as the most
powerful and vibrant animal to ever grace the forests and
jungles of Asia.
More than ever, those dedicating their lives to saving the tiger and it’s dwindling habitat need our help. Anyone who has ever watched a wild tiger move through the forest or jungle could not turn their back on this fight.
Our funds are sent to charitable organizations and their use monitored by internationally known and respected tiger conservationists. In India we support the work of the Wildlife Protection Society of India [WPSI] headed by Belinda Wright. In Nepal our funds are dispersed and monitored in the field by the International Trust for Nature Conservation [ITNC] and its Trustee, Dr. Charles McDougal, with the approval, co-operation, and co-ordination of Nepal’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.
Perhaps
the most important WPSI project that we have helped fund over the
past six years is their Poaching and Trade investigative
project. Using a widespread network of informants and
undercover work, intelligence is gathered to locate poachers and
wildlife criminals who trade in tiger parts and other endangered
species. The WPSI now works closely with the Indian Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In 2000 the WPSI assisted in 17
successful raids resulting in 34 arrests of people now facing
charges for crimes under the Wildlife Protection Act of India.
A
good example of the work we are helping to fund came this past
March, when WPSI agents, working with the CBI, carried off an
important legal action in the Central Indian city of Nagpur.
Nagpur has more tiger reserves, national parks, and wildlife
sanctuaries within a 250 km. radius than any other city in India.
Two separate sting operations were co-ordinated at the same time.
Two inter-state gangs of wildlife poachers were busted and six
people arrested. Five tiger skeletons, one tiger skin, four
leopard skins, tiger’s claws and teeth, and deer antlers
were confiscated.
We
continue to support and sustain Sonakali, the elephant we
helped donate to Sonanadi Sanctuary. Food and
supplies for her and her mahout as well as a proper shed and a
protective enclosure came from our funding. Sonakali’s
importance to this pristine forest is most apparent during the
summer months when the monsoon rains make foot and vehicular
patrols impossible. Sonakali not only continues
anti-poaching patrols but helps transport supplies to forest
guard camps within the forest. The tiger population at Sonanadi
Sanctuary, though not flourishing, remains healthy and stable.
Our
support for anti-poaching patrols at Corbett National Park, with
the help of Sonakali, continue as well. Corbett is
contiguous to Sonanadi Sanctuary and occasionally in Winter,
Sonakali is used for patrols at Corbett. Last December
disturbing reports were coming out of Corbett about the
mysterious deaths of wild elephants. Information gathered
during patrols using Sonakali revealed that these deaths were
being done at the hands of Lesu, hill tribesmen originally from
Burma, who hunt with high powered bows using poisoned steel
darts. The Lesu were gathering ivory for wildlife crime
syndicates. At least six, probably more, wild elephants
died during the past winter months. Several arrests were
made and, at least for now, the killings have stopped.
In
January of 2001 the WPSI and the Forest Department of Madhya
Pradesh held a Wildlife Enforcement Workshop at Bandhavgarh
National Park which we were pleased to help fund. This
workshop was attended by 40 forest guards, local wildlife
officers, and enforcement officials from neighboring towns.
Topics discussed were: anti-poaching/sting operations,
information gathering techniques, and appropriate procedures for
successful arrests and convictions of wildlife criminals.
With
our funding, the WPSI has hired a field representative to operate
in and around the Bandhavgarh area. His job will be to
increase the awareness of the importance of tiger conservation in
villages surrounding Bandhavgarh. This is a tough but
critical job as surrounding villages are quite poor and lack the
basic amenities of public health and education. He will
also work with local officials to gather tiger poaching
information and keep close tabs on several important wildlife
cases currently on the court docket in the neighboring city of
Katni. Several arrests recently at train stations in Umaria and
Katni indicate a disturbing increase in poaching activity with
links elsewhere in India.
For
the past year we have been funding a mobile anti-poaching patrol
run by Tikaram Adhikari at Royal Chitwan National Park.
Tikaram is a former Deputy Warden at Chitwan and Chief Warden of
Shey Phoksumdo National Park. I met with Tikaram in Chitwan
last March and was impressed with his work and his methods. He
runs an intricate network of informants and co-ordinates his
operations with the existing anti-poaching units with back-up
from armed Forest Guards. In the past year he has averaged
5 operations a month and has put 35 people in jail for wildlife
crimes, including a well known ‘businessman’ from
Kathmandu, now languishing in the Bharatpur jail. One
interesting note underscores the pressures being felt by national
parks in Nepal and the importance of anti-poaching work on their
periphery. Bharatpur is a small town adjacent to the
‘protected’ forests of Chitwan. Of the 66
prisoners in the Bharatpur jail, 45 are there for wildlife
crimes. Tikaram has recently been named Chief Warden of
Parsa Wildlife Reserve which adjoins Chitwan to the East. McDougal
and I have expressed our commitment to support Tikaram to the
full extent of our resources. It was at a meeting with him
in 1993 and a visit to interview poachers at the Bharatpur jail
that inspired me to get into tiger conservation in the first
place.
While at Chitwan I also met with the Chief Warden, Mr. Gopal Upadhaya. At the request of Tikaram and Mr. Upadhaya, McDougal and I have agreed to fund the building of two new guardposts at strategic locations on the periphery of Chitwan.
Bhim
Gurung, formerly of Tiger Tops and now with the University of
Minnesota, has established an ambitious network of 30 informants
ranging from Sukla Phanta in the Far West to Kosi Thappu in the
East. These ‘citizen rangers’ as he calls
them, live in the critical areas between the tiger’s
protected habitat and provide information about the presence or
absence of the tiger, its prey species, and general health of the
habitat. We continue to assist in the funding of this
project.
Tiger
monitoring and surveys have now taken a new turn in Nepal
with a reliance on what is called camera trapping, wherein the
tiger takes its own picture by walking through a laser beam from
cameras placed at strategic locations throughout tiger habitat.
Responsibility for surveying tigers throughout Nepal has been
divided between the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation
with funding from the World Wildlife Fund and the International
Trust for Nature Conservation with assistance from The Fund For
The Tiger. Funds sent to the ITNC this year are being used for
the purchase of camera trap units and for personnel to carry out
the work. Not until all sectors have finished their work
can there be a new assessment of the status of the tiger in
Nepal.
Funds
were released this year to continue to support the anti-poaching
patrol at Royal Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve at
Hirapur/Champapur in the far southwestern corner of Nepal. With
our funds this post was first established in 1998 and continues
to be viable.
*
*
*
Many
of you reading this Newsletter have been to Bandhavgarh.
The news from there is mixed. Two notable deaths amidst tigers
flourishing in prime habitat. First of all, Charger, the
large male who got his name from his fondness for charging
landrovers and elephants, died last September. In the
latter years of his life he had taken to scrounging off the kills
of Bachhi, his daughter with the infamous tigress Sita. When
he began losing fights for these easy meals with Bachhi’s
adult male offspring, he began wandering into the adjoining
villages in search of food. Kuttapan, the lead mahout, led
the elephants in a roundup which put him into a compound built by
park officials. He lies there today with a nice memorial at
a place called Charger Point. Some criticized this action
as human interference in the natural order of things. At
least Charger died in his home territory, was spared the poachers
poison pellet and didn’t end up in a bottle of Tiger Bone
Wine in Taiwan or, that fate worse than death, pacing back and
forth in a cage at the Bhopal Zoo.
At
the end of May one of Bachhi’s 18 month old sub-adult
tigresses was found dead in the fence along the western edge of
the park. Initial rumors ranged from tiger poaching to just
‘caught in the fence’. Most now agree that this
was a tragic poaching accident- the young tigress caught in a
poaching trap designed for deer.
Now
for the good news. Bachhi, now seven years old, continues
to do well. Her three male offspring, now four years old
and known uninspiringly as B1, B2, and B3, are still seen in
their respective territories. I was lucky enough to see all
three last March. B1 is the largest, a magnificent tiger
who controls the rocky slopes below the Bandhavgarh Fort and the
Eastern sector of the park. I watched him move down the
hillside and lie down in the rocks, waiting for us to leave so he
could cool himself in the water at Sita Mandap. B3 roams
the back meadows of Bathan and Sera. B2 hangs out near his
mother and has the biggest territory, from Chakhadara Meadow to
the Western edge of the park. All three have had cubs in
the last year- B1 and B2 with the surviving two 4 1/2 year old
females of Sita’s last litter and B3 with a tigress known as
the Rajbera female. So there are possibly 6 small tigers
now running around Bandhavgarh ranging in age from 8 months to a
year. It’s far too early to tell how many will
survive. And there are certainly as many adult tigers as
this core area can maintain.
*
*
*
•Mountain
Travel/Sobek continues to donate all profits from their annual
Save The Tiger trip to The Fund For The Tiger. The trip,
which visits Bandhavgarh National Park in India and Royal Bardia
National Park in Nepal, is an excellent way for people to travel
into the heart of tiger country, see a tiger in the wild, and
make a significant contribution to tiger conservation work.
March 15, 2002 will be the next departure date for the 9th
consecutive trip which has raised over $76,000 for tiger
conservation. The Save The Tiger trip in 2000 received an
Honorable Mention Award in the Conde Nast Traveler
magazine’s Eco-Tourism Awards. I am grateful for the
opportunity to visit tiger country through my job as Trip Leader
with Mountain Travel/Sobek. This job gives me the chance to
visit Nepal and India once or twice a year, to travel to tiger
reserves, and to meet with those conservationists working at
‘ground zero’ in the war to save tigers- at virtually
no cost to The Fund For The Tiger.
•The Tiger
Tops/Tiger Mountain Group in Nepal continues to participate
generously in the Save The Tiger trip and has, over the years,
offered me the gracious hospitality that has afforded me the
opportunity to learn first-hand about the status of the tiger in
Nepal.
•Thanks to
The American Himalayan Foundation for its generous grant in
December of last year which helps sustain our support for
anti-poaching patrols, particularly at Royal Sukla Phanta
Wildlife Reserve.
•A very
special thanks this year goes to 6 Flags/Marine World in Vallejo,
California and their Tiger Island people. An outdoor art
exhibit called SharkByte Art is going on from August through
October of 2001 in San Jose, California. 100 local artists
are creating their various interpretations on life sized
fiberglass sharks to be displayed over the next few months in the
heart of San Jose. Each artist has a sponsor and the sale
of each exhibit will raise funds for a non-profit charity chosen
by the sponsor. Artist Linda Dupuis-Rosen and her work,
Noah’s Shark, is being sponsored by 6 Flags/Marine World and
they have selected The Fund For The Tiger to be the recipient of
the auction of Linda’s work, scheduled for the first week of
November. Look for more information on this at: www.sharkbyteart.com
•To our
Webmeister, Dr. John Mordes, my gratitude for establishing our
web site and continuing to update it from time to time. Look
for it at:
www.channel1.com/users/hemlock/tigerfund
It was 7:15 a.m. on March 21; we had just set out on our morning game drive and heard very loud unmistakable alarm calls signifying the presence of a predator. We drove quietly but excitedly to the spot and stopped to talk with a mahout who was already there. He had heard snarling, growling, and what sounded like fighting just behind us. Within minutes, other elephants and their mahouts arrived and carefully lumbered into the forest to search out the ruckus. There was an air of concern because we were in the territory of the 4 year old male offpring of Bachhi, daughter of the legendary tigers Charger and Sita. If her two 18 month old female cubs had run into B2 there could be a mortal fight. Male tigers have been known to kill cubs that are not their own in an effort to assure genetic dominance so this encounter could potentially be deadly. How B2 would react to the cubs of another litter was not known. The first mahout came out and excitedly said that there were 4 tigers in the forest. We quickly mounted the elephants and as we were crashing through the forest the snarling, growling, and whining noises increased in volume. I was scared as I did not know if I would be able to watch B2 kill one of the cubs. Finally, we arrived at the site and saw four beautiful tigers. Bachhi had maimed a small chital (spotted deer) by breaking one of its frail legs and was beginning to teach her daughters how to hunt and kill. At this point, the male tiger B2 curiously wandered on the scene hoping for a free meal. He had unknowingly interrupted the cub’s hunting lesson. Most of the ferocious sounds were communications between B2 and his mother. She was not about to let him have the chital and was lying on top of it proprietarily. Each time he advanced, she growled, and in response he would snarl back at her. The two cubs were caught in the middle of this conflict and were whining pitifully at their mother because they wanted the chital as well. This noisy exchange went on for a while and then suddenly Bachhi had enough. Her opportunity to teach her cubs was gone so she quietly picked up the chital by the back of its neck and sauntered a few yards away to lie underneath a large shade tree and began to eat it herself. The cubs ran over hoping for a bite, but mom growled and they whined as they backed away. B2 finally realized his mother was not going to share anything and stayed right where he was, relaxing in the shade of a bamboo bush a few yards away. He had not been there to kill these cubs. Had they been male, things may have turned out tragically different. On the contrary, he seemed to be a very tolerant big brother. It’s not certain but B2 and the cubs may also share the same father which would explain the tolerant behavior. The cubs padded over to him and nuzzled, cuddled, and rubbed against him as they commiserated with one another. The persistent cubs returned to their mother each time receiving the same rebuff. Finally, they opted to go back to frolic with their big brother/half brother. Meanwhile, Bachhi sat under the tree, alone, enjoying her solitary meal. We could hear her strong jaws crunching through bone as she enthusiastically began to eat the chital. Reluctantly, we left the thicket where the four remained to head back to our jeep and give the other observers a chance to see this spectacular sight. What a privilege to be allowed a precious glimpse into this private moment of tiger family behavior.
Kim Sullivan
Bandhavgarh
National Park
Madhya
Pradesh, India
JAIBAGH-
the email address of The Fund For The Tiger, means “long
live the tiger” in the Nepali language.
If you wish to help,
please send your contribution to The Fund For The Tiger
at P. O. Box 2, Woodacre, California, 94973. The Fund For
The Tiger is a non-profit tax exempt public charity registered in
the State of California. Your contribution is deductible
for tax purposes within the limits of the law.
Sincerely,
Brian K. Weirum
Chairman
The Fund For The
Tiger
The Fund For The Tiger would
like to thank all those listed below who have made contributions
in 2000 and through July of 2001. Your support is greatly
appreciated.
Mountain
Travel/Sobek
The American
Himalayan Foundation
The Martin and
Doris Payson Foundation
Pamela Gray
Andrew and Julie
Constantin
Mike and Janet
Finn
William A. Newsom
Everett W. Trout
Tom Harriman
Robert Fowler
Eastern Savings
Bank of Maryland
Erica Stone- in
memory of Gil Roberts
James and Wenda
O’Reilly
John and Jeri
Flinn
Larry
Habegger/World Travel Watch
Jim and Janice
Borrow
Linda Weirum
Anne Marie
DeMatteis
Rodney Jackson and
Darla Hillard
Geographic
Expeditions/George Doubleday
Phillip White
Tom McCormack
Steve Matous/Great
Escapes USA
Constance Speight
Doris Litton
Anne T. Murphy
Kim and Micky
Sullivan
Howard E. Horner
Joyce Brukoff
Andrew
Layton/Barbara Waggoner
Van and Linda
Hazewinkle
Jim and Karen
Fayallot
G. David Austin
Herson Family
Foundation
Terry and Jenifer
Readdick
Leonard Stein
Jigme and Nima
Yugay
Alan and Lynn
Charne
Sarah Lichtenstein
Ted Baglin
Hilda Lichtenstein
Stacy
Basham-Wagner
Barbara Horton
Robert J. Waller
Susan Lynn Burrell
Valina Scovel
Thomas Oaster
Stan Ebbinghausen
Michael Groza
& Associates
Jean Schwier
Maridee Hegstrom
Gary Kray
Neil and Anne
Harper
Susette Lyons
Ellen Rajewski
Pamela Jensen
A.C. (Anonymous)
Mike and Billie
Strauss
Bob and Debby Law
Bruce and Janet
Minkiewicz
Elizabeth and
Stuart Muench
Paul Minkiewicz
Aimee Whitman
Kathryn
MacBride/Stephen Isaacs
Jo Ann Sorbo
Family Foundation
Rusty Gutwillig
John and Patricia
Bennan
Daniel Cooke
Ruth Scott
Doris Constenius
Manjeri and
Subashree Krishnan
Allison Dean
Walker
Doug Murken
Coulter F. Adams
Jeff Prchal
Michelle Bolotin
Dale Kennedy
William Krenz
Agnes Minkiewicz
Sally Gutting
Redmond
Bobbie Bynum
Marty Maxwell
Alexandra Snyder
Rosslyn Gaines
Mark, Lynne and
Allison Kudzy
Lori Ravit
Delores Hovey
Harry Beckenholdt
Alfred E. Janssen
Susan Thomas
William Coates
Laura Tenner
Allen Bechky
Jim Gilbert
George F. Crispo
Joan Edmunds
William H. Shirley
Margaret Sheneman
Kurt W. Marx
Tim White
David W. Hasson
Erlinda Etcubanas
Robert Scalapino
Michelle DiRezza
Allie Phemister
Tommy Simpson
Ann C. Werner
Lorry Schneider
Ruthanne Cowan
Amy Christopher
Lawrence Murphy
Katherine Munson
Page last updated August 13, 2001
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