Article published in Sanctuary Asia

ACHANAKMAR DYING

PRODIPTO lAHIRI
Sanctuary Asia, June 2009
FIELD REPORT
Last year, as I drove slowly in broad daylight
on the Achanakmar-Amarkantak highway, I was
glad to find pugmarks of both the leopard and the
tiger. I had traveled to the park along with
P.S Lahiri, well-known photographer and
conservationist, and we had many delightful
wildlife sightings and evidence to support the fact
that Achanakmar (Sanctuary Vol. XXVIII No.)
was doing well.
Earlier this year, on March 15, 2009, I found
myself waiting in the blistering heat, with
enthusiasts from Nature Club Bilaspur, of
which I am a part, ready to conduct an annual
tiger enumeration along with the Forest
Department, but in vain. It was 7 a.m. and
there was not a single beat guard or ranger. In
my view, the lackadaisical attitude of forest
guards is the first alarm bell of a dying park but
I refused to be disheartened. The previous year’s
enumeration had reported 27 tigers and we were
hopeful that this year would be even better.
When my assigned guard arrived I decided to
visit the Bokrakachar beat where last year I had
seen several pugmarks of a large male. This time,
however, even though we retraced our steps many
times, meticulously checked each waterhole and
optimistically listened for alarm calls, we did not see
a single tiger or leopard pugmark. Instead, we found
seven dead babblers lying, unmourned, under an
Arjun tree and as I held one of them in my hand,
two more fell from the branches. I suspected that
the nearby waterhole had been poisoned by
poachers and attempted to take a sample of the
water for testing, but was, amazingly, stopped by
the beat guard who said it was against the rules.
Back at the guesthouse, the news was bleak.
At the Kumbhipani waterhole (Chaparwa range),
a leopard, a hare, a barking deer and countless frogs
and bees were found dead and peacock feathers
lay scattered on the ground.
HEART WRENCHING FIGURES
Our enumeration concluded with a
dismal estimate of seven tiger and 17 leopard
pugmarks (which does not indicate the
number of animals, but rather the number of
pugmarks encountered). The Satapani,
Saraipani, Sambhar Dhasan and Darrapani
beats did not reveal even one pugmark this
year. Only the Lamni range seemed to be
thriving, recording the maximum pugmarks,
a sign of the dedication and commitment of
Range Officer Mr. Sidar.
Achanakmar is another Sariska and Panna
in the making. There too, the Forest
Department was unwilling to accept that their
reserves were the hunting grounds of poachers
and not cats. Evidence of past tiger numbers, as
recorded by our nature club, are quickly
dismissed as are our cries for help.
What is even worse is the reason why
patrolling continues to be weak despite the
confirmation of poachers being active. In the
last few months, the vast bulk of forest officials
were stationed at election polling booths and
had in effect abandoned post. Almost all forest
vehicles were similarly taken by the state election
committee, leaving the park exposed to poachers.
DESTROYING A FOREST
Poachers have even been discovered skinning
dead chital on the Bilaspur-Achanakmar highway.
How much more evidence does the Forest
Department require before it acts? The scattered
carcasses of birds and small reptiles on the banks of
waterholes are considered mere coincidences and
forests officials are unwilling to test the water, citing
frivolous legalities and loophole-ridden rules.
Instead of investigating the death of the
leopard that was found during the enumeration,
the forest department passed it off as an accident,
saying the cat was suffering from a physical ailment
and had slipped off the cliff and died.
There can be no reason to justify a park falling
into ruin. It is a blemish on India when wildlife
laws are not implemented and when a state’s forest
department itself sanctions the passage of trucks
and jeeps through a Protected Area under the
Rozgaar Guarantee Yojna which has approved
repairing roads even in the core area. In the melee
of tractors, trucks, dumpers and hundreds of
workers, identifying poachers is impossible,
further compromising the park’s future.
It has been a year since the park was notified
as a tiger reserve but it is still in the control of the
Bilaspur Forest Division and although the
Achanakmar-Amarkantak highway was
supposed to be shut in 2008, it continues to be
used, threatening the few animals that are still
found here. Not surprisingly, timber mafias and
cattle grazers have the run of the reserve.
Officials showing any promise and
dedication are quickly transferred, thus squashing
any hopes of renewal in Achanakmar. Just last
year, the park superintendent B.P. Singh was
shifted from the park on flimsy grounds ignoring
the fact that he was putting up effective
strategies for the area.
The Supreme Court’s Central Empowered
Committee recommended the relocation of
seven villages and five acres of agricultural land
and a house for each family was found, but
not a single village has yet been shifted. Instead,
the Forest Department has built five tourist
This is possibly the only image of the elusive Western
Tragopan (top left) in the wild. The final notification of
the park, coupled with efforts to involve villagers in
conservation has reduced the villagers' dependency on
park resources and allowed populations of the enigmatic
Western Tragopan, Himalayan Monal and Koklass
Pheasant to recover to some degree. There is greater
awareness among villagers of the conflict between their
traditional, unsustainable livelihoods such as
uncontrolled firewood collection (above), extraction of
medicinal plants and mushrooms,
bungalows, three of these in the heart of the
jungle. Rumour has it that inebriated officials,
politicians and their guests roam freely through
the park, placing themselves and the animals
they are sworn to protect at risk. Senior
naturalists and researchers who object are
harassed and threatened.
Achankmar is dying, but the people
charged with her protection are turning a
blind eye to her peril.
EPILOGUE
As Mansoor Khan the convener
of the Nature Club, Bilaspur, Anurag
Shukla, a senior conservationist, and
I sit near the dead leopard with our
heads down and tears in our eyes,
we cling tenaciously, like the big cat to
its fragile home, to our hope that India
will come together to protect Achanakmar
and her denizens.
ACHANAKMAR DYING
by Pradipto Lahiri

Cheetal Poaching in Achanakmar,

This is the open truth of allmost all the lesser known jungles or reserves in our country....... Still do you want to keep quiet??

Dead leopard at Achanakmar Tiger Reserve

Poaching at Achanakmar Tiger Reserve

ACHANAKMAR DYING


Tiger census: 2009

As I slowly drive in broad daylight through the achanakmar amarkantak highway, my hopes are raised high to find plenty of pugmarks of the striped predator along with its other cat family members. Last year I had the pleasure of accompanying Mr. P.S Lahiri, a well known photographer and conservationist and we had spotted plethora of wildlife and evidence to support the fact that achanakmar was teeming with game.

Nature club Bilaspur had been participating in tiger census along with the forest department since last 12 years and this year the census was conducted on 15th of March. Around 100 enthusiast souls were exited and ready with transparencies and plaster casts to record the pugmarks. All the members were distributed throughout the jungle according to the beats with their beat guards. Three different groups were stationed at achanakamar range, chaparwa range and lamni range. We were supposed to leave at 4.00 AM sharp. Last years census had reported around 27 tigers and with the hope of an increased population we called it a day and waited for the next morning.

As we waited exited and ready with our gears, not a single beat guard arrived before 7.00 AM. Even the Ranger was nowhere in the vicinity. I decided to check the Bokrakachar beat of the achanakmar range. Last year I had seen the pugmarks of a large male in the same area quite a few times hence I took the assigned beat guard and started my day. We meticulously checked each water whole every possible spot of that area but could not trace a single pugmark. Even more surprisingly we did not come across a single leopard pugmark. I was now really tensed and after checking almost every possible by lane of that range we were on our way back. While crossing a small stream, under an arjun tree there was a small water whole and near which were lying seven dead Babblers. One of them was still breathing faintly. I picked it up and poured some water in its mouth but within seconds I lost hope and it died. As I was reasoning it out two more fell from the tree. I had no idea whatsoever was happening. I decided to take one of them along as a sample for testing. I had doubts that some thing was wrong with the water and it must have been poisoned but the beat guard did not allow me to take them as it was against the rules.

As soon as I reached the guest house tensed and worried, one of the members of nature club gave me the news, “At Kumbhipani water whole (Chaparwa range) a dead leopard, a dead hare, a dead barking deer, dead frogs and bees and peacock feathers were found, As these animals died in the vicinity of water, it is suspected that the water was poisoned.” My heart missed a beat and worst nightmare came true. I knew poachers were at large and that they were operating through out the jungle.
As I reached the spot I was told that only 7 tiger and 17 leopard pugmarks were found throughout the jungle and that all the well traced territories have no pugmarks at all.
We were sure that this was another sariska and panna in making. The irony is, still the forest department is unwilling to accept the fact that the animals are being poached in the game range and that they have miserably failed to stop it.
May be when the last pugmark is blown away from the achanakmars dusty terrain and not even a single tiger survives to support our hopes, the forest department would accept the situation. Things have changed drastically in last six months or so. The regular visitors, senior conservationists and even the beat guards are recording a serious drop in the frequency of tiger evidence or even pugmarks.
We have been studying achanakmar since a decade and the nature club has been through years of detailed scientific research along with many, many hours of meticulous observations by its members and never in the past have we encountered such a bad situation. some of the major tiger territories which invariably used to record tiger evidence, Satapani, sarai pani, sambhar dhasan, darrapani and many more have not recorded a single pugmark this year. Only the lamni range records the maximum pugmarks, the credit of which undoubtedly goes to the hard working range officer Mr. Sidar.

Even worse as the national elections are ahead, 90 percent of the forest officials are stationed to their respective polling booths. Almost all the forest vehicles are taken by the state election committee, leaving the park wide open for the poachers to ravage freely within and sweep out the little that is left.
In last six months at least six incident of poaching have been reported and it is imperative that apart from tigers the low density of cheetals and even the wild boars and peacocks are missing.

Facts today:
1 Even after getting ample of proof that the leopard was poached and the water wholes were poisoned as in the babbler’s case too, the attitude of the forest department is very casual and they believe that the cat must have been suffering from some physical ailment because of which it slipped down from the cliff and died.
2 Since last six month there have been quite a few incidents of cheetal poaching. Even poachers having political connections were caught on the bilaspur achanakmar highway skinning the cheetals, enquiry still pending.
3 As the rangers and the beat guards have their residence at bilaspur, almost no monitoring takes place.
4 Huge disturbance from the cattle gazers, human habitation and even traffic within the park attributes to the dwindling numbers of prey and their predators.
5 The state government has sanctioned “Rojgaar guarantee yojna” hence permitting trucks and jeeps to roam freely around the jungle repairing roads which are connecting the villages, creating a win loose situation for the villagers and wildlife. Just imagine 10 JCB’s, 20 tractors , dozens of trucks , dumpers and many other machines moving freely inside the core area of the game range constructing 10 feet road and hundreds of workers sleeping inside the forest. Will it be possible to identify the poachers amongst the mass
6 It has been a year that the park has been notified as Tiger reserve but no action has been taken by the state authorities and all powers are still vested in the hands of bilaspur forest division.
7 For any park superintendent, it takes at least four or five years to work out some positive results but sadly even before he starts implementing his plans he is transferred from that park due political malaise. Last two years we were very optimistic as The park sptd Mr B.P Singh and the rangers had a mutual understanding and things looked positive but as soon as the elections arrived they were transferred.

8 The supreme courts central empowered committee has sanctioned the reallocation of seven villages and the budget has been sanctioned for the same. The government has agreed to provide five acres of agricultural land and a house for every single family even then not a single village has been shifted.
9 The most venerable are the achanakmar and the chhaparwa range. One can find the achanakmar ranger under the influence of alcohol at any given time. It has been more than 5 years that the achanakmar and chaparwa rangers have been deputed in the bilaspur division and since then they have not committed a single productive work.

10 Forest department has developed more than five tourist bungalows and three of them are inside the core area. Most of the time these bungalows are occupied by the forest officials, politicians and their guests for their personal entertainment, even if a lady needs to use the guest house for some basic requirement, she would be denied brutally and ll have to resort to the jungle.
11 Many a times the senior naturalists and researchers are harassed and threatened inside the park and they have to face the malice attitude of the rangers and forest guards.
12 Timber mafia and cattle gazers have become rife in the sanctuary but the forest department keeps its eyes and ears closed.
13 The achanakmar-amarkantak highway was supposed to be closed since 2008, but still it continues to place animals at grave risk.

Over the years, achanakamar has had more than its share of problems. For decades forest officials, conservationists and researchers have all contributed towards the development of the park.
As Mansoor khan (convener, nature club bilaspur), B.P Singh (Ex-Park Suptd) and I sit near the dead leopard with our heads down and tears in our eyes, our hope lingers around the media, the honest senior forest officials of our country and all the wildlife enthusiasts through out the country who would try to contribute in all possible ways to make it safe for the forest and its denizens and to create a beautiful Achanakmar.

Poaching at Achanakmar Tiger Reserve

ACHANAKMAR DYING


Tiger census: 2009

As I slowly drive in broad daylight through the achanakmar amarkantak highway, my hopes are raised high to find plenty of pugmarks of the striped predator along with its other cat family members. Last year I had the pleasure of accompanying Mr. P.S Lahiri, a well known photographer and conservationist and we had spotted plethora of wildlife and evidence to support the fact that achanakmar was teeming with game.

Nature club Bilaspur had been participating in tiger census along with the forest department since last 12 years and this year the census was conducted on 15th of March. Around 100 enthusiast souls were exited and ready with transparencies and plaster casts to record the pugmarks. All the members were distributed throughout the jungle according to the beats with their beat guards. Three different groups were stationed at achanakamar range, chaparwa range and lamni range. We were supposed to leave at 4.00 AM sharp. Last years census had reported around 27 tigers and with the hope of an increased population we called it a day and waited for the next morning.

As we waited exited and ready with our gears, not a single beat guard arrived before 7.00 AM. Even the Ranger was nowhere in the vicinity. I decided to check the Bokrakachar beat of the achanakmar range. Last year I had seen the pugmarks of a large male in the same area quite a few times hence I took the assigned beat guard and started my day. We meticulously checked each water whole every possible spot of that area but could not trace a single pugmark. Even more surprisingly we did not come across a single leopard pugmark. I was now really tensed and after checking almost every possible by lane of that range we were on our way back. While crossing a small stream, under an arjun tree there was a small water whole and near which were lying seven dead Babblers. One of them was still breathing faintly. I picked it up and poured some water in its mouth but within seconds I lost hope and it died. As I was reasoning it out two more fell from the tree. I had no idea whatsoever was happening. I decided to take one of them along as a sample for testing. I had doubts that some thing was wrong with the water and it must have been poisoned but the beat guard did not allow me to take them as it was against the rules.

As soon as I reached the guest house tensed and worried, one of the members of nature club gave me the news, “At Kumbhipani water whole (Chaparwa range) a dead leopard, a dead hare, a dead barking deer, dead frogs and bees and peacock feathers were found, As these animals died in the vicinity of water, it is suspected that the water was poisoned.” My heart missed a beat and worst nightmare came true. I knew poachers were at large and that they were operating through out the jungle.
As I reached the spot I was told that only 7 tiger and 17 leopard pugmarks were found throughout the jungle and that all the well traced territories have no pugmarks at all.
We were sure that this was another sariska and panna in making. The irony is, still the forest department is unwilling to accept the fact that the animals are being poached in the game range and that they have miserably failed to stop it.
May be when the last pugmark is blown away from the achanakmars dusty terrain and not even a single tiger survives to support our hopes, the forest department would accept the situation. Things have changed drastically in last six months or so. The regular visitors, senior conservationists and even the beat guards are recording a serious drop in the frequency of tiger evidence or even pugmarks.
We have been studying achanakmar since a decade and the nature club has been through years of detailed scientific research along with many, many hours of meticulous observations by its members and never in the past have we encountered such a bad situation. some of the major tiger territories which invariably used to record tiger evidence, Satapani, sarai pani, sambhar dhasan, darrapani and many more have not recorded a single pugmark this year. Only the lamni range records the maximum pugmarks, the credit of which undoubtedly goes to the hard working range officer Mr. Sidar.

Even worse as the national elections are ahead, 90 percent of the forest officials are stationed to their respective polling booths. Almost all the forest vehicles are taken by the state election committee, leaving the park wide open for the poachers to ravage freely within and sweep out the little that is left.
In last six months at least six incident of poaching have been reported and it is imperative that apart from tigers the low density of cheetals and even the wild boars and peacocks are missing.

Facts today:
Even after getting ample of proof that the leopard was poached and the water wholes were poisoned as in the babbler’s case too, the attitude of the forest department is very casual and they believe that the cat must have been suffering from some physical ailment because of which it slipped down from the cliff and died.
Since last six month there have been quite a few incidents of cheetal poaching. Even poachers having political connections were caught on the bilaspur achanakmar highway skinning the cheetals, enquiry still pending.
As the rangers and the beat guards have their residence at bilaspur, almost no monitoring takes place.
Huge disturbance from the cattle gazers, human habitation and even traffic within the park attributes to the dwindling numbers of prey and their predators.
The state government has sanctioned “Rojgaar guarantee yojna” hence permitting trucks and jeeps to roam freely around the jungle repairing roads which are connecting the villages, creating a win loose situation for the villagers and wildlife. Just imagine 10 JCB’s, 20 tractors , dozens of trucks , dumpers and many other machines moving freely inside the core area of the game range constructing 10 feet road and hundreds of workers sleeping inside the forest. Will it be possible to identify the poachers amongst the mass
It has been a year that the park has been notified as Tiger reserve but no action has been taken by the state authorities and all powers are still vested in the hands of bilaspur forest division.
For any park superintendent, it takes at least four or five years to work out some positive results but sadly even before he starts implementing his plans he is transferred from that park due political malaise. Last two years we were very optimistic as The park sptd Mr B.P Singh and the rangers had a mutual understanding and things looked positive but as soon as the elections arrived they were transferred.

The supreme courts central empowered committee has sanctioned the reallocation of seven villages and the budget has been sanctioned for the same. The government has agreed to provide five acres of agricultural land and a house for every single family even then not a single village has been shifted.
The most venerable are the achanakmar and the chhaparwa range. One can find the achanakmar ranger under the influence of alcohol at any given time. It has been more than 5 years that the achanakmar and chaparwa rangers have been deputed in the bilaspur division and since then they have not committed a single productive work.

Forest department has developed more than five tourist bungalows and three of them are inside the core area. Most of the time these bungalows are occupied by the forest officials, politicians and their guests for their personal entertainment, even if a lady needs to use the guest house for some basic requirement, she would be denied brutally and ll have to resort to the jungle.
Many a times the senior naturalists and researchers are harassed and threatened inside the park and they have to face the malice attitude of the rangers and forest guards.
Timber mafia and cattle gazers have become rife in the sanctuary but the forest department keeps its eyes and ears closed.
The achanakmar-amarkantak highway was supposed to be closed since 2008, but still it continues to place animals at grave risk.

Over the years, achanakamar has had more than its share of problems. For decades forest officials, conservationists and researchers have all contributed towards the development of the park.
As Mansoor khan (convener, nature club bilaspur), Anurag shukla (senior conservationist) and I sit near the dead leopard with our heads down and tears in our eyes, our hope lingers around the media, the honest senior forest officials of our country and all the wildlife enthusiasts through out the country who would try to contribute in all possible ways to make it safe for the forest and its denizens and to create a beautiful Achanakmar.

Bandhavgarh tiger reserve, The mirchaini family

Bandhavgarh National Park, an introduction

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Introduction

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve falls between the Vindhyan hill range and the eastern flank of Satpura hill range and is located in Shahdol and Jabalpur districts of Madhya Pradesh.

The Reserve is named after the highest hill Bandhavgarh (807 m.) in the centre of the Reserve. A chain of smaller hills, 32 in all, surrounds this hill, forming a number of valleys and spurs in between. Vertical cliffs are more prominent around the Bandhavragh hill. Interspersed in low-lying areas are a number of grassy meadows, such as Chakradhara, Rajbahera, Sehra-Dadra, Bhitri bah, Kolua bah etc. Since the main formation is of sandstone, water percolates through it, forming a number of perennial streams and springs. The western parts of the Reserve and Panpatha Sanctuary area are more or less plain. The hills are mainly flat-topped. The meadows in certain areas are marshy.
Sal trees cover low, undulating and plain tracts and degenerate in growth and quality as they ascend the hill slopes, giving place to mixed forest on upper slopes, mainly due to edaphic factors.
Gregarious flowering of bamboo in the year 1984-85 has resulted in profuse regeneration all over, which is giving good cover to all animals.

A few rare species such as the insectivorous plant Drocera peltata and medicinal plants such as Buch Acorus calamus are found in some isolated patches of the Tala range of the Reserve.
The rivers Johilla and Son flowing on the eastern side, the river Umrar passing through the western fringes and the Bandhavgarh hill, visible from as far as 30 km., are some of the landmarks of the Reserve.
Bandhavgarh has been an excellent habitat of the tiger and is known for its highest density of tiger population in the world.

Conservation History

The Bandhavgarh Fort, in the centre of the Reserve, atop the Bandhavgarh hill, was the seat of the rulers of erstwhile Rewa State until they shifted to Rewa town in 1617 A.D. The area of the Reserve, with its surrounding forests were the favorite hunting grounds of the erstwhile rulers and were zealously protected as such.

After independence and the abolition of the princely States, the process of degradation of forests accelerated due to lax control. Maharaja Martand Singh of Rewa was deeply moved by the destruction of forests. On his proposal, an area of 105 sq. km. was
declared a National Park in 1965. The area of the park was increased to 448.84 sq. km. in 1982. The area of the 105 sq. km. old National Park was finally notified in 1968. The remaining part of the National Park i.e. 343.842 sq. km. is yet to be finally notified.

Considering the importance and potentiality of the National Park, it was included in the Project Tiger Network in 1993. The adjoining Panpatha Sanctuary, which was created in 1983 with an area of 245.847 sq. km. was also declared a part of the Reserve.

Archeological Richness
Bandhavgarh was the seat of ex-rulers of the Rewa State and its history dates back to the 3rd Century A.D. Even mythologically, the fort on this hill was built by Lord Rama for his brother Laxman, during the Ramayan. There are about thirty-five man-made caves in Bandhavgarh with inscriptions and carvings, which date back to about 129-168 A.D. Statues of various incarnations of Lord Vishnu, which were carved out of single rock are found in the fort. “Sheshshaiya” the statue of lord Vishnu in reclining pose is the biggest of all and attracts every tourist. These statues date back to the 10-11th century A.D.

Forest Types
Moist Peninsular Low Level Sal - 3C/C2a
West Gangetic Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests – 3C/C3a

Major Flora
Sal Shorea robusta, Saja Terminalia tomentosa, Dhauda Anogeissus latifolia, Tendu Diospyros melanoxylon, Arjun Terminalia arjuna, Aonla Emblica officinalis, Palas Butea monosperma, Salai Boswellia serrata, Bhirra Chloroxylon sweitenia, Gamar Gmelina arborea, Dhaman Grewia tilifolia, Mango Mangifera indica, Jamun Syzygium cumini, Bamboo Dendrocalamus strictus, etc.

Major Fauna
The faunal assemblage of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is of typical Central Indian species. The Gaur population of 30+ animals was never a viable population. Most of them seem to have migrated out of the Reserve in 1995 and hardly to be seen now.

Main Species
Mammals: Spotted deer or Chital Axis axis, sambar Cervus unicolor, barking deer or muntjac Muntiacus muntjak, chausinga or four-horned antelope Tetracerus quadricornis, nilgai or blue bull Boselaphus tragocamelus, Indian gazelle or chinkara Gazella gazella, tiger Panthera tigris tigris, leopard Panthera pardus, wild dog or dhole Cuon alpinus, wolf Canis lupus, scavengers consist of hyaena Hyaena hyaena, jackal Canis aurius, wild
boar Sus scrofa, sloth bear Mellursus ursinus, common langur Presbetys entellus, Rhesus monkey Macaca mullatta, etc.
Birds: 242 species of birds have been identified in the Reserve. The most commonly seen are the Peafowl, Red Jungle Fowl, Grey Hornbill, Common Teal, Red Wattled Lapwing, Crested Serpent Eagle, White-breasted Kingfisher, Lesser Adjutant Stork, etc.
Reptiles: Cobra, krait, viper, python

Fauna listed in the Schedules of WPA, 1972
Tiger Panthera tigris, Leopard Panthera pardus, Jungle Cat Felis chaus, Wolf Canis lupus, Jackal Canis aureus, Indian Fox Vulpes bengalensis, Wild Dog Cuon alpinus, Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus, Ratel Mellivora capensis, Hyaena Hyaena hyaena, Chinkara Gazella gazella and Chowsingha Tetraceros quadicornis. Amongst birds are Malabar Pied Hornbill and amongst reptiles Indian Varanus Varanus bengalensis and Python Python morulus.

Management
The objective of the management of the reserve is to ameliorate the population of prey and predator within the perimeter of the intrinsic carrying capacities.

Protection/Patrolling Squads
Two diesel jeeps for patrolling have been provided by WWF and one Gypsy by Global Tiger Patrol. They are used as and when required inside the reserve and to go around its periphery. With insufficient staff, no squads for patrolling have been formed separately; only regular staff use it as per requirement.

Village Forest Protection Committee
In all, 40 FPCs have been constituted. They are helpful for protection and other works.

Eco-development
Under MP Forestry Project, eco-development works are being carried out around the Reserve in order to reduce the biotic pressure from surrounding villages. Micro-plans have been prepared for eco-development activities in some villages, namely Salkhania, Bagdara, Kathali, Lakhumar, Badawah, Ranchha, Majhkheta and Gohadi. They are being implemented with the project funds.

Education and Awareness
Wildlife week, quiz competitions, excursion of school children inside the Reserve and Radio and T.V. programmes are the main methods of education and awareness being
followed. Wildlife films are shown regularly at the meetings held at Eco-centres in villages.

Special Projects
M.P. Forestry Project has been launched in this area with assistance from the World Bank. This has been useful for creating infrastructure, as well as habitat improvement and the training of staff in wildlife protection.

In order to raise more funds for the conservation of Tiger and its habitat, M.P. Tiger Foundation Society has been constituted. It can receive funds from any national/ international NGO or individual.

Control of Buffer
Buffer is not under the administrative control of Field Director

Constraints

Staff
Most of the field staff are aged and have been posted in the Reserve for a long time now. Most of them are local people, prone to be influenced by the well-connected poachers and timber thieves.
Transfer of the staff is centrally controlled. Thus the manager of the reserve does not have a free hand.

The sanctioned posts of Forest Guards are only 54 while there are 62 beats in the Reserve. Even if all the posts are filled up, 8 remain vacant.

Bandhavgarh attracts a lot of tourists but there is no special staff to manage tourism. The field staff has to devote time for tourism management.

The reserve has equipment like computers but no special posts have been sanctioned. Thus management faces a great difficulty in utilising and maintaining the equipment.

Funds
Sufficient funds are not available under non-plan for office expenses, protection, maintenance of roads and buildings. This is the head, where management needs more but gets less.

Infrastructure
Buildings are still inadequate in some of the ranges. Range officer quarter and office building at Panpatha, six Range Assistants’ quarters, ten Forest Guard quarters and camp
residence and camp office for Field Director and Deputy Director are urgently required. Road network needs a lot of improvement in order to make all areas approachable during all weathers. Many of the wireless sets are old and need replacement for efficient control. Four jeeps are required for patrolling purpose at the Range level. One tractor with water tanker is urgently required for transporting water at the fire sites.

Hostel facility for the families of the staff working in interior areas, has to be developed at Manpur and Umaria.

Grazing
There are about 100 villages around the Reserve. These villages lack any good grazing ground for their cattle. Thus there exists a tremendous grazing pressure on the Reserve.

Besides 2500 cattle heads of the six villages located the Park, about 26,000 cattle population of surrounding villages cause immense pressure of grazing on the Park. Only, 10,048 cattle heads of 34 surrounding villages are permitted to graze legally in 44 compartments i.e. 101 sq.km. area of the extended park. Now and then, they do graze illegally in other parts also.

Fire
Summer fires are frequent. Although these are ground fires and do not significantly harm the trees. Human settlements in and around is the main cause of these fires.

Poaching of fauna and flora
Poaching of wild animals inside the core area is almost non-existent, but animals moving out frequently, do get killed occasionally by the villagers. There are two main reasons for the situation. First, some communities have been killing and eating wild animals since ages and they have yet not changed their thinking. Secondly, the buffer zone is under the control of territorial DFOs. The management and the staff of buffer zone are not wildlife conservation oriented. Poachers take advantage of the situation.

Human Population
The old area of Bandhavgarh National Park is free of habitation. There are six villages in extended part of the park and eight in the Panpatha Sanctuary. Besides this the National Park is surrounded by 62 villages, which have direct impact on the protected area by way of grazing, M.F.P. collection, fires and poaching.

Livestock population
There are 6965 cattle heads in 14 villages located inside the reserve. Besides this about 50,000 cattle heads from the surrounding villages put a lot of pressure on the reserve. Most of them are unproductive and are ever increasing in number.

Criminals and Extremists None
Highways
Two P.W.D. roads namely, Umaria-Rewa and Parasi-Katni via Khitauli, pass through the Reserve. There is a lot of vehicular movement on these roads, even during the night. Numerous animals get killed in road accidents.

Diseases None
Encroachment None

Conflicts

Man-Animal
Crop Damage: Herbivores do move out for raiding the cultivated areas of the adjoining villages. Tigers also move out during monsoon and lift livestock. Crop raiding by wild animals is the main reason for conflicts.

Cattle Lifting: Livestock also forms part of tiger prey. During monsoon, tigers move close to the villages and lift livestock. This is more common in Panpatha Sanctuary because most of the area is under grazing by the cattle of eight villages located inside it and also cattle from the surrounding villages. Compensation is paid immediately as per rules, if any cattle is killed by Tiger or Leopard in area open for grazing.

Man-Forest
Grazing is the main area of conflict. Sporadic theft cases of timber, bamboo and M.F.P.are also reported.

Wild Animal-Forest
Few grasslands, e.g. Bathan, show signs of over grazing by herbivores. No specific
conflict is seen as such. Wherever there is over grazing due to high density of herbivores, rotational grazing has been started with the help of enclosure of chain-link fencing.

Action Points

Funds
Water regime development needs to be carried out during April to June. This is the time when the management is without any allotment. Unspent amounts from the previous financial year should be automatically revalidated for this period to carry out the said works.

The Tiger reserve has network of forest roads of 452 km. They are repaired every year, but due to paucity of funding, they are not maintained properly. Most of the funds are consumed by the repair/maintenance of roads in the tourist zone only. Besides being channels of communication, roads act as fire-lines also. Their maintenance is essential.

There are 146 buildings in the Reserve. Most of the buildings are in bad shape for want of maintenance. The maintenance funds are not adequate. Residential buildings for Deputy Director and A.C.F. at Umaria, R.O. Panpatha and three Range Assistants are urgently required. Camp office for Field Director and Deputy Director is also urgently needed at Tala.

Vehicles
There are three gypsies, one jeep, one truck, one Mahindra Pick-up and four motor cycles in the reserve. The jeep, the pick-up and the four motor cycles are very old and need frequent repairs. Therefore, these need to be replaced. In view of the pressure of poaching and other illegal activities around the reserve, at least one gypsy each must be given to all ranges for patrolling and other activities. One tractor with tanker, eight motor cycles and three gypsies are required for proper control.

Staff
To make the wildlife service more attractive, special incentives/rewards and out-of-turn promotions should be considered. Making it compulsory to serve in the wildlife area for 5 years between the age of 30-35 years should also be considered. Special pay for all staff including the Field Director needs to be enhanced to at least 30 per cent of the basic pay.

The Mirchani cub Kallu, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Bandhavgarh in dec

With my twenty years of experience in visiting national parks, one thing i knew for sure was " Never visit the national parks during season holidays". If you really want to enjoy wildlife you ll have to visit the parks when there in minimum traffic. I have been going to Bandhavgarh since i was 2 years old and based on that i can tell you folks, don't go to Bandhavgarh in the dec. There is a maddening rush in the park. Even when the vehicles have been restricted to 45 or 50, the traffic is so heavy that it is rather tourist in park as wildlife than the wildlife itself.
This Dec i had to went to Bgarh with some guest of mine. As this was their only holiday slot i had to adjust.They had come to achanakmar for two days initially and then we went to bandhavgarh but even before boarding the train i had given them a clear picture of the park and what to expect in that period. Oh my GOD..... all of my predictions went crashing through the woods. During their eight rides in the park they saw 7 different tigers, A family of three bears and barking deers, sambhars..... at large. At times they saw 3 tigers together and rest two at a time minimum.
One major learning experience for me- For the first time in my life i saw tigers mating. On the 24th morning while we were returning from center point we got the news of elephant show in the chorbehra area. as i reached the scene as usual i asked the mahout if its worth taking a picture. He told me that there are two tigers, a male and a female. I boarded on a small elephant with one of my photographer friend. She was a two seater. As i reached the spot i saw both of them sitting apart in a dense bamboo patch. they were not visible clearly so i asked the mahout to make some clearings. The elephant broke down some twigs so that we could see clearly. With us there was a male elephant which had four tourists on him. After a while suddenly the female started moving. She went past the male and started making some low growls immediately the male stood up and the female took her position. As soon as the mating started the female gave a terrific growl(moan). The sound was so immense that i felt as if it went through my veins. My heart definitely missed a beat and surprisingly the same happened with my elephant and instantly she started trumpeting and running here and there. she even tried to jerk us off from our seats. Both the elephants started trumpeting lowd because of which the male tiger gave a full throat ed roar. Our elephant started running without any direction sense. Even the mahout was not able to control her. Finally she stopped after a kilometer or so.
The nightmare ended. Lesson learned: Never disturb the tigers while they are busy with their tigresses.

Indian Gaur ,Achanakmar Tiger Reserve

Raksha Sakh Waterfall, Achanakmar

Article i wrote for sanctuary asia (Aug issue 2008)
ACHANAKMAR TIGER RESERVE
It was one of the hottest and most humid days of May and the sun had almost set. I was driving through a very dense patch of forest where the daylight visibility is not more than fifteen feet. On a bend I suddenly saw an animal crouching and looking towards me from a distance of not more than ten meters. As the daylight had faded long ago it was very difficult to identify the object, but going by the size I assumed that it was a tiger. I got a little nearer and as soon as I flashed my lights on the animal it vanished into the thickets in leaps and bounds. I could see clearly the black spots of the giant leopard that it was. I had seen quite a few leopards in the different national parks in our country but it was undoubtedly one of the biggest amongst them. This robust population of leopard not only indicates its presence but also enriches the sanctuary habitat. I was sure once again that Achanakmar was in the hands of its rightful owners.
Situated merely sixty kilometers from Bilaspur is the Achanakmar tiger reserve. Spread over a vast area of 914 Sq Km, all of the forest is breeding with different species of animals and the ultimate in scenic beauty. The density of the forest is such that in some places during broad daylight visibility can be reduced up to only fifteen feet. The forest of the park is mainly tropical moist deciduous and tropical dry deciduous type. Rich in flora and fauna there are mainly Sal, Bija, Saja, Haldu, Teak, Tinsa, Dhawara, Lendia, Khamar and bamboo trees. Other than the mainstream jungle there are six hundred species of medicinal plants. All of these merge into a thick canopy creating heaven for wildlife. The lifeline of this sanctuary is the pristine and meandering Maniyari River, the only river which flows right through the heart of this park forming the perfect incubator for extraordinary avian diversity.
The park is also a part of Achanakmar-Amarkantak biosphere reserve. The park is enriched with different species of game including Tiger, Leopard, Bison, Flying squirrel, Malabar squirrel, Chinkara, Wild dog, Hyena, Sambhar, Cheetal and over hundred and fifty species of birds. I will give you an idea of the stock that this park provides in a single trek. One night I was out patrolling the forest with the dynamic and very able park superintendent Mr. B P Singh. We started at about 11 pm and in the next four hours we saw three leopards, a group of eighty bison, three different species of Owl, forest hare, a group of twenty wild dogs and hundred of Cheetals. We had covered most of the tiger territories known to us but as a few days earlier, a sighting of tigress with two cubs was reported to us in the Diyabar beat, we decided to check the area before calling it a night. Just before you reach the Diyabar water body there is a small stream flowing from Katami to Diyabar and while we were crossing it suddenly we heard the cries of two very young tiger cubs nearby. We waited there for quite a long time expecting them to come out into the open. They called at regular intervals but ultimately we were unable to sight them. By the calling pattern it was clear that the mother had left them to secure a kill and that she would return after a definite period. After waiting for a while we decided to leave them alone peacefully and try to locate them sometime again. As we were returning both of us were overjoyed because we knew that the future of the park was safer and we had confirmed that the tigress was in the process of raising two of her cubs to adulthood. The last tiger census reports eighteen to twenty four tigers which excludes cubs below the age of fourteen months. We had seen pugmarks of tigresses with cubs below one years of age, at four different parts of the park and we were sure that there must be at least ten cubs through out the park. This was indeed a vindication of a successful tiger breeding.
In Achanakmar the biggest problem that a tourist faces is the lack of a good sighting. Due to the density of the forest it is impossible to spot an animal even if it is a few feet away from you. The topography of the park is basically hilly and the terrain is such that to travel a distance of three kilometers it takes almost half an hour.
Another major threat that the park is facing is the villages situated amidst the park. The local people situated in and around the sanctuary are mostly those belonging to the Gond and Baiga tribes. There are twenty two villages situated inside the park and most of them are even inside the core area, because of which it is impossible to stop human infiltration inside the park. The biggest village Katami consist of more than a hundred households. Due to the influx of local villagers the animal often get disturbed and stay away. The livestock in all the villages in the park are easy targets for predators. Every week the administration has to placate the villagers and compensate their losses and as the death of the livestock is rising so is the fury of the local inhabitants. Eight of the twenty two villages have been proposed to be shifted and the proposal has also been sanctioned by the FAC ‘ Forest Advisory Committee ’ but it is still pending before the Central Empowered Committee. The local inhabitants have also agreed to move if they are given better facilities. As soon as the villages are relocated, the barren lands can be converted into perfect grasslands inviting wildlife and hence providing the best place for the tourists and the photographers to stalk animals. However the battle to save our wildlife and its habitat is far from easy. The plans of rehabilitating and relocating the tribes are still lying in the official files.
All of these villages established in the different part of the sanctuary pose a serious threat to the tiger habitat. Central government has declared the park as a tiger reserve but the state government is yet to give a notification to the forest administration. Another major problem that the park is facing is the Bilaspur amarkantak national highway that runs from Bilaspur to Jabalpur via Achankmar dividing the park into two halves. The forest administration has prohibited the entry of heavy vehicles from sunset to sunrise but still Cheetals Jackals and even hyenas lying dead on the roads are common sight. It has been proposed to make an alternate road but as usual the proposals are engraving their right places in the government files.
Even after so many threats the forest administration is doing its level best to maintain the park and attract tourist. More than five watch towers have been made in the different parts of the forest. One of them is Tangli Pathar situated in the Lamni range at a height of 1039 meters above the sea level. From this point there is a thrilling view of almost the whole Achanakmar forest. In the month of March when the fall starts , the park looks from this point like a painters dream. The fresh air and the mesmerizing view create a spell which would last on you throughout your life. Not only discovering but building the tower was one of the most arduous jobs for the CCF Mr. kaushlendra Singh but because of the hard work and total dedication of the forest officials like him the park is flourishing amidst so many problems. Elevating the magnificent beauty of this landscape are the centuries old forest guest house build by the British inside the park. Achanakmar, Lamni Chaparwa and Surhi, all of them are very well maintained and are supplied with all basic amenities but lack of private hotels and vehicles sometimes create immense pressure on the forest department. More than twenty water bodies have been made so to concentrate wildlife into a secluded spot. A large number of animals can be found on these water bodies quenching their thirst.
Imagine entering the park when the sun is about to meet the horizon, expecting to see the cheetal drinking water on the serene banks of the Maniyari river, the monkeys and sambhars giving their alarm call on seeing a tiger joining the party, the birds returning to their nests to feed their new born and while you are about to inhale the moist cool breeze of the dusk…. What you see is the giant Sal, Haldu and Beeja trees burning into hot red flames and the whole jungle burning into ashes where it its difficult to breathe due to the smoke and with it numerous animals lying dead here and there. During summer this is a common sight in the achanakmar jungle. The cattle gazers of the near by villages burn the jungle down so that they get good manure for their cattle in the coming season. I have seen the forest fire workers trying to counter the flames through out the night but fire of this scale settles down only when it has had its own quota . To save the habitat and the biodiversity of this beautiful forest , rehabilitation of the villages is a must.
During the years that I have explored the vastness of Achanakmar . Being a native of chhattisgarh I have been intimately connected with the land and the culture is practically ingrained into my blood. I have roamed through out the jungle enjoying the true magic of nature and I have never seen such a beautiful lush green forest containing such a vivid variety of wildlife. It ultimately depends on us whether we are going to play our part for the safeguarding of the prosperity that the forest deserves or if we will sit tight on our sofas and see the country loosing its most precious ornament “ its jungles and wildlife”