Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), a successful model for tiger conservation, is facing a new problem in the shape of tourists. Camera-toting holidaymakers are shelling out big bucks to local tourist guides to go deep into the core area of the national park for “exclusive” pictures of the big cat.

Wildlife officials posted at the resort say guides ferry tourists in Gypsies deep into the reserve in order to spot a tiger. Once the animal is sighted, these shutter-happy tourists surround it to get close-up shots.

PANJIM: The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has directed the Goa government to submit its proposal to declare Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as a ‘tiger reserve’. The demand has come at a time when wildlife enthusiasts~ particularly those working for tiger conservation~are up beat about the sighting of a tiger in the sanctuary, which appears to be a local predator.

Forest Department officials had clicked photographs of the tiger moving in the sanctuary, a fortnight ago. This is for the first time that direct and conclusive evidence has been found by the forest department officials about its presence.

A five-day pilot survey of Bengal Tigers, which is the first phase of the Bengal Tiger Census and Monitoring project, will begin in the Sundarbans today.

Tigers from Madhya Pradesh could soon be heading for Rajasthan to repopulate the Sariska sanctuary.

Rs 280-Cr Plan Focuses On Rehabilitation Of Sahyadri Villages

Kolhapur: The state forest department has submitted the first detailed conservation plan for Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) to the Union ministry of environment and forest. The Rs 280-crore plan focuses on the rehabilitation of villages on the fringe of the reserve and 90% of the proposed funds have been earmarked for it. Sources said the ministry would study the plan and pass it on to the National Tiger Conservation Authority for the final approval.

Forty years of tiger conservation efforts in the country seem to have borne fruit with the number of big cats rising more than five times from 268 in 1973.

"When project tiger was launched from Corbett's Dhikala range in 1973, tiger population in the country stood at 268. It has now risen to 1,468," Corbett Tiger Reserve Director Ranjan Mishra said today quoting an official estimate.

Central Fund Scaled Down By 100cr

Ahmedabad: The lion’s share of conversation funds in the country are meant only for the tiger. For the Asiatic lion, found only in Gujarat, the central government seems to have only peanuts. The Planning Commission has asked the Gujarat government to slash its project to preserve the lions outside the Gir sanctuary by Rs 100 crore.

In a bid to check poaching of tigers, the Odisha Government has initiated steps to constitute a Similipal Tiger Protection Force (STPF) as per the guidelines of the Union Government.

Increasing incidents of tiger deaths due to poisoning has made the officials of the tiger project to work out an action plan to end this menace of targeting big cats by mischievous elements.