Saturday, January 16, 2010
Baghela Tourist Residency....
I was only two when for the first time i was subjected to the majestic beauty of the royal bengal tiger at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.Since then it became a passion for me to visit the park at least four times a year. After spending an considerable amount of money and time i finally realised that if i was so badly in love with this, the only thing that could stop me from getting bankrupt within a few years was to takeover a resort at bandhavgarh and run it, if not for the sake of business but at least to stop myself from actually selling off all my parents had in store for me....
so friends i have finally taken over"Baghela Resort" at Bandhavgarh and luckily its just 200 meters from the gate.
All of you are most welcome to stay with me at Bandhavgarh and take a look at the majestic striped predator at its own domain.
so friends i have finally taken over"Baghela Resort" at Bandhavgarh and luckily its just 200 meters from the gate.
All of you are most welcome to stay with me at Bandhavgarh and take a look at the majestic striped predator at its own domain.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
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
Saturday, April 18, 2009
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??Wednesday, April 15, 2009
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.
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.
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.
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