Over Fifty Tigers Dead This Year: WPSI Report

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Statistics collated by the Wildlife Protection Society Of India (WPSI) indicate that 51-tigers have perished so far in 2011. Uttarakhand leads the states with 14-deaths followed by Karnataka with six and Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh with five each. A tiger killed by policemen using AK-47 machine guns outside Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Monday (5th Nov. 2011) is the latest in that list.

The WPSI Wildlife Crime Database has records of over 19,100 wildlife crimes involving more than 400 … Read More

TRAFFIC Post, November 2011

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TRAFFIC Post is TRAFFIC India’s quarterly newsletter on issues related to wildlife trade.

TRAFFIC is an international network, consisting of TRAFFIC International, based in Cambridge, UK with offices on five continents, seven regional programmes in 25 countries and territories, with ongoing research and activities in several others. TRAFFIC came to India in 1991, operating as a division of WWF-India. It has since worked closely with the National and the State Governments and various agencies to help study monitor and influence … Read More

Three Elephants Killed By Poachers In Simlipal

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Three elephants have been killed by poachers in Simlipal Tiger Reserve, Orissa. The pair of tusks missing from one of the elephants pointed to the fact that this is the work of ivory traders. It appears that the elephants had been poisoned. Conservationists have expressed concerns over poachers being active in Simlipal again. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has also expressed concern over mass killings of elephants. Last year, about 10 elephants were killed in Simlipal. … Read More

Live Blackbuck found on sale in Delhi

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A live sub-adult blackbuck was seized in an upmarket Delhi area by the Delhi police, acting on a tipoff. Two persons who were planning to sell the animal were apprehended. Considering the location of the seizure, it is speculated that the animal may have been brought there to service upscale clients who want to serve exotic meat in their social gatherings. The arrested persons said that they had obtained the blackbuck from Meerut. In August 2008, an undercover operation assisted … Read More

Uttarakhand Has High Incidence of Leopard Poaching

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Uttarakhand is turning into a killing field for Leopards. There were 136 registered cases of leopard poaching so far in 2011, out of which 51 have been reported from Uttarakhand. In two separate incidents in the last 10 days, the Uttarakhand police have seized three leopard skins. A leopard skin was seized and two persons arrested by the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) in Dehradun on Thursday. Two leopard skins and other animal parts were seized by the SOG, Uttarakhand … Read More

First Conviction in Karnataka for Tiger Poaching

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Three poachers have been convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Bangalore. The three had been arrested in an operation in 2008 for possession of tiger paws, tiger pelts and bones. The conviction is a first of its kind for the State. Though the sentence is light, conservationists are happy that convictions have finally started. For many years, arrests have made news but the culprits would eventually go scot-free. The Upparpet police … Read More

Crucial Breakthrough in Cracking Extensive Wildlife Smuggling Ring

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The alleged kingpin of an extensive smuggling network that traded in plant and animal wildlife, Veeriya Shekhar of Manipur, was detained at the Chennai airport by immigration authorities and handed over to the Chhattisgarh police. It is believed that he was at the core of an illegal wildlife trading network that dealt in tiger and leopard bones, deer antlers, pangolin scales and red sandalwood. Information about Shekhar’s role emerged after interrogation of persons who had been arrested during a series … Read More

TRAFFIC Post, July 2011

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TRAFFIC Post is TRAFFIC India’s quarterly newsletter on issues related to wildlife trade.

TRAFFIC is an international network, consisting of TRAFFIC International, based in Cambridge, UK with offices on five continents, seven regional programmes in 25 countries and territories, with ongoing research and activities in several others. TRAFFIC came to India in 1991, operating as a division of WWF-India. It has since worked closely with the National and the State Governments and various agencies to help study monitor and influence … Read More

Leopards Poached More Aggressively than Tigers

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Six leopards are poached for every tiger that is killed. Leopard skins are in great demand in China. Their bones are also often passed off as tiger cub bones. Leopards are also involved in a lot of man-animal conflicts and are often killed with brutality for straying into human habitations.

In 2010, 180 leopards were killed through poaching whereas the total number killed stands at 328. In the first six months of 2011, there have already been 79 poaching related … Read More

RTI Response from Environment Ministry Indicates Nearly 200 Tigers Poached in the Last 12 Years

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An RTI application filed with the Ministry of Environment and Forests reveals that 197 tigers were killed through poaching between 1999 and 2011. The ministry also attributed the local extinction of tigers in Sariska and Panna to poaching. The worst years were 2001 and 2002, where 36 tigers were poached in each year. Two tigers have been poached already this year between January and March 17th. The ministry has not provided details of the action taken report for each case, … Read More

Seeking Alliance with People, Government Launches Campaign for Elephants

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New Delhi, May 24, 2011: Reaching out to the people, to improve conservation and welfare prospects of the elephant – India’s National Heritage Animal, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in partnership with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) has launched the nationwide “Haathi Mere Saathi” campaign.

“Elephants are so ingrained in Indian culture and traditions, that sometimes, we tend to take the elephant for granted. This public initiative is aimed at increasing awareness among people and developing not … Read More

Shared Concerns for Elephants Bring Together African and Asian countries at the E-8 Meet

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New Delhi, May 24, 2011: An unprecedented initiative to mobilise global cooperation in elephant conservation and welfare began today with the Elephant – 8 Ministerial Meet (E-8) in New Delhi.
The E-8, hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, in collaboration with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), brings together for the first time African and Asian nations to discuss conservation and welfare … Read More

Elephants Face Severe Threats in Orissa

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The Elephant population in Orissa’s forests are facing multiple and severe threats. Rampant poaching in Similipal National Park has caused more than 20 elephant deaths in two years. Maoist fears have kept conservation activities to a minimum.

A severely skewed sex ratio, under staffed protection camps, large number of electrocution deaths, fragmented habitats and retaliatory killings against depredations add to the list of threats that elephants face. The State Government has put in place a Rs. 50 crore management plan … Read More