Why tigers fear Indian forest service officers

A forest officer "Untouchability has not been eradicated from the country. There still exist classes of people who have to perform chores for their lords with unquestioning servility. Any attempt at protesting means a long exile in jungles with very little facilities for families of the banished," says a forest guard.

Guns, saws and double standards

RECENTLY, the Rajasthan High Court, concerned about lesser tigers in the Ranthambore tiger reserve, directed that all vehicles should be denied entry into the park. The response was immediate and furious. Conservationists, tiger lovers and tourist operators combined to argue that the ban would destroy the hotel industry and hit livelihoods of tourist operators. Angry scenes of foreign tourists denied sight of the tiger flashed on national media.

Tiger task force seeks people's participation

China to train captive-bred Siberian tigers for wilderness

C hina plans to train 620 captive-bred Siberian tigers to survive in the wild. Organisers say the campaign will be of great significance in conserving and improving the genetic stock of Siberian tigers.

New Chinese rule for wildlife

China issued the 'Regulation on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora' on September 1, 2006. The regulation bans the import and export of rare animals and plants for commercial use, while making exception for scientific research, cultural exchanges and species propagation. The new law complements the existing law banning trade in tiger bones and their derivatives.

Snippets

• African country Chad has ordered two major foreign oil firms, US firm ChevronTexaco and Malaysia's Petronas, responsible for 60 per cent of its oil production, to quit the country in a row over taxes. The decision now leaves only Exxon Mobil in the consortium, which handles the country's oil production.

A tiger by the tail

Creating the National Tiger Conservation Authority became a distant dream as the government stalled the bill seeking amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 that would have created the authority. The bill was scheduled to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on May 17. But the government bowed down to groups oppposing the bill.

One step forward, many steps back

The Wildlife Protection Act, 1976, is under the scanner again. The mainstay of biodiversity protection in India, the act has undergone only one major amendment -- in January 2003 -- since it was promulgated. Some of the changes then were substantial and at least had the potential of infusing new life to a moribund wildlife protection regime. The time, it seems, has come for the act to undergo major changes for the second time. Some amendments have been tabled in parliament, and a few more are on the anvil.

"Future of local population rests on tiger-related tourism"

What was the main purpose of your visit to India? Interviewee:  Jim Knight

The Lewa Conservation Way

In the last week of December, 2005, the beleaguered Indian tiger was again in the news. Tiger killing in north Indian sanctuaries made it to the front pages of many national dailies. The developments justifiably raised the hackles of environmentalists and conservationists. The ongoing debate on building incentives within sanctuaries to check species poaching and conserve wildlife species, acquired even greater urgency. It's a sharply polarised debate.