st r i pes - Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate ...€¦ · bi-monthly outreach journal of national tiger conservation authorityst r i pes ... stripes.ntca@gmail ... bi-monthly

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s t r i p e sBI-MONTHLY OUTREACH JOURNAL OF NATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Volume 1 Issue 5 July-August 2010

Transboundary cooperation is important intiger conservation and India has taken a numberof initiatives on this front. We have bilateralarrangements with our neighbouring tiger rangecountries like Nepal and China, and efforts areunderway to put in place similar bilaterals with

Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The Indo-Nepal Memorandum of Understanding was

formalized in the 90's for transboundary cooperation on issuesrelating to trafficking of wildlife body parts and tigerconservation. Animal movements along the Nepal border arecommon in the tarai areas of Dudhwa, Pilibhit, Katerniaghat andValmiki. The recently held 4th Nepal-India Consultative Meetingprovides a roadmap to address illegal wildlife trade hotspots insuch areas. The transboundary cooperation would pave the wayfor a shared vision to safeguard biodiversity, besides providinga cross boundary pool of expertise in solving the problem.

The range countries bordering each other need to cooperatefor prosecuting offenders. Wherever necessary, suchcooperation has to facilitate extradition of persons who arecharged with offences, within the ambit of agreed actions and

reciprocal commitments between such countries. It is earnestlyhoped that such cooperation would ultimately result intransboundary protected areas for strengthening the cause.

The need for securing inviolate space for tiger is wellunderstood. This also is one of the major recommendations ofthe Tiger Task Force. Based on simulation models, it has beenseen that 20 breeding tigresses are at least required for makinga population viable, and given the territorial nature, spacerequirement and social dynamics of tiger, an area of 800-1200sq.km. needs to be kept inviolate as a core area for tigers withan exclusive tiger agenda. The Government of India iscommitted to secure such space in tiger reserves and has beenproviding 100% central funding towards voluntary relocation.This process is followed within the ambit of the Wildlife(Protection) Act, 1972 read with the Scheduled Tribes and OtherTraditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Rights) Act, 2006.Elaborate guidelines have been issued for handholding theStates in this regard with close monitoring by independentteams while taking care to ensure the welfare of the peopleduring and after relocation.

Dr Rajesh Gopal / Member-Secretary, NTCA

EDITOR Dr Rajesh Gopal Member Secretary NTCA

EDITORIALCONSULTANT Ananda Banerjee

CONTENTCOORDINATORInder MS Kathuria

FEEDBACK Annexe No 5 Bikaner House ShahjahanRoad New Delhi [email protected]

Cover photo Sirshendu Mookherjee

s t r p e sn o t e f r o m t h e e d i t o r

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InitiativeVillagerelocationPg 17

Tourism - Advisory andguidelines

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ManagementIndo-NepalmeetPg 5-6

WildlifeCrime

Importanceof

informationP10

iBI-MONTHLY OUTREACH JOURNAL OF NATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Management Manas TigerReservePg 7

4 | July-August 2010 | STRIPES

TOURISM

Looking at the problem of heavy tourism insidetiger reserves the NTCA has put forward thefollowing advisory/guidelines:

(i) The patrolling camps / chowkis / watch towersinside a tiger reserve (core as well as buffer) shouldnot be used for accommodating tourists orfacilitating tourism. As these structures have beenconstructed under Project Tiger, for the sole purposeof accommodating the frontline field staff (at placeswith wireless), it needs to be ensured that they aresolely used for patrolling / antipoaching work.

(ii) Tourists should not be allowed to patrol thecore / critical tiger habitat owing to the riskinvolved vis-à-vis the intensive legwork in aformidable terrain with wild animals. Further,exposing tourists tosensitive patrolling routes / paths / spatialpresence of animals, besides the patrolling strategywould make the habitat vulnerable by exposingsuch details which may be confidential forapprehendingthe offenders / poachers. Besides, there can be nomethod by which a poacher entering a wildlifehabitat under the garb of a tourist can beidentified. Likewise, there is no mechanismavailable to ensurethat sensitive information pertaining to wildlife

protection is not advertently/inadvertently passedon to miscreants / poachers. The frontline staffwould also be burdened with the task of acting as“caretakers” for the tourists, besides attending totheir possible health related emergencies. Needlessto point out, patrolling is effective and successfulonly if it is organized discretely. Patrolling is atechnical / specialized task requiring considerablephysical fitness and a knowledge of a terrain whichby and large, is done at odd hours. While thetourists would not be in a position to undertakethis task, there is also a risk of patrolling strategyand related details getting exposed to poachers.

(iii) Under no circumstances forest producematerial should be used for making a temporary /permanent construction to facilitate tourists in thecore / critical tiger habitat.

(iv) It is reiterated that provisions under section38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 should beimplemented in letter and spirit for ensuring theinviolate status of the core / critical tiger habitat.

(v) The guidelines / advisories issued from theProject Tiger/NTCA may be strictly followed fororganizing intelligence based patrolling in tigerreserves.

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The fourth consultativemeeting on Trans-boundaryBiodiversity Conservation

between Nepal and India was heldin the Conference Hall of theNational Tiger ConservationAuthority at New Delhi on 8thJuly, 2010.

The representatives of twoparties and other delegatesdiscussed at length the resolutionsmade in the third meeting held atKathmandu and the progress madein implementation of the same.The participants expressedsatisfaction on the fact that all theresolutions are relevant foraddressing the challenges faced bythe two countries in BiodiversityConservation. These are morecrucial particularly for resolvingthe Trans-boundary problems likemaintaining the biological

corridors, control of poaching andillegal trade in wildlife products,human-animal conflict across theborder and migration of wildanimals.

The representatives of India andNepal and other participants notedwith satisfaction the fact that WWFand other organizations like NTNCare making significant contributionto catalyze and facilitate theBiodiversity Conservation effortsand in particular for theconservation of tiger, rhinos andelephants, besides other animals inthe Terai Arc Landscape in boththe countries.During the course of the meetingthe issue of "repatriation" of RedSanders smuggled from India wasalso flagged. It was informed thatabout 21.68 MT alone of RedSanders could be repatriated to

India for which the NepalGovernment had already agreed.However, around 58 MT, as per thedecision of the court of law, wouldbe auctioned in Nepal, and themoney so realized would be usedfor conservation purpose.As reported by the Indiandelegation in December 2007, anamount of 229.8 MT of RedSanders wood is lying in variousdepots in Nepal. Presently 23.75MT has been repatriated duringOctober 2009 and 21.68 MT free oflegal encumbrances has to berepatriated for which the NepalGovernment has agreed. However abalance of 184.37 MT is still to bedecided for repatriation, out ofwhich the Nepal Government isplanning to auction 58 MT,whereas the same needs to berepatriated to India.

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE FOURTH NEPAL - INDIA CONSULTATIVE MEETING ON TRANS-BOUNDARY BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION8-9 JULY 2010 / NEW DELHI, INDIA

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In pursuance of the resolutionmade by the two parties in theearlier consultative meetings,

the representatives ofGovernment of Nepal and theGovernment of India whileexpressing concern about theincreasing threats to biodiversitycaused by various factors, andrealizing the urgent need for aneffective strategy to address theproblems confronting thebiodiversity and the ecologicalsecurity in the Trans-boundaryregion, hereby resolve to:

1. Strengthen the existing MOUand implementing it within theyear 2010.2. Strengthen their respectiveNational Action Plan under theGlobal Tiger Forum (GTF) for tigerconservation with a time boundimplementation. 3. Strengthen the CapacityBuilding of personnel involved intiger and wildlife conservation/protection under the GTF.4. Strengthen implementation ofNational Action Plans for rhino,elephant and other endangeredspecies. 5. Establish a joint monitoring

arrangement using standardizedprotocols in selected landscapesthrough the GTF.6. Ensure reciprocal actionsincluding restoration of corridorsusing voluntary relocation.7. Explore funding opportunitiesto strengthen bilateralconservation efforts.8. Develop institutionalmechanism for regularmonitoring, interaction andreporting at three levels, viz (i)Field Level - RangeOfficer/DFO/ParkWarden/Director/Civil SocietyInstitutions (sharing ofinformation, joint patrolling, jointactions); (ii) Divisional/Regional Director/Commissioner level(coordination) and (iii) Nationallevel (policy)9. Intensify priority areas forbilateral cooperation in thefollowing landscapes: ■ Suklaphanta- Lagga Bagga-Pilibhit■ Bardia- Katerniaghat- Khata■ Dudhwa- Dhangadhi/Basanta-Laljhadi■ Valmiki/Bettiah- Chitwan-Parsa■ Banke-Suhelwa■ Jhapa- Darjeeling

■ Kosi Tappu 10. Intensify regular monitoring oftrade hotspots covering thefollowing areas:■ Kanchanpur/Tanakpur■ Nepalgunj/Rupendiya/Nanpara■ Bhairwa/Sunauli■ Birgunj/Raxual■ Biratnagar/Jogbani■ Kakarvitta/Siliguri■ Darchula/Dharchula11. Identify their respective FocalPoints under the South AsiaEnforcement Network (SAWEN)and plan collaborative activitiesfor enforcement, besidesidentification of institutionalnominees at the field and regionallevels for better communication. 12. Use diplomatic channels,wherever necessary, to resolveproblems and issues pertaining toTrans-boundary BiodiversityConservation.And in pursuance of these:13. Hold national levelconsultative meetings regularly, atleast once every year, to reviewthe progress made and evolvefuture strategies on the basis ofexperience gained throughimplementation of aforesaidresolutions.

RESOLUTIONS OF THE FOURTH NEPAL - INDIACONSULTATIVE MEETING ON TRANS-BOUNDARYBIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION29 JULY 2010 KATHMANDU, NEPAL

A joint resolution between Nepal & India was signed on 29/7/10 at Kathmandu, Nepal for transborderbiodiversity conservation including tiger. The salient points of the resolutions are reiterated:


MANAGEMENT

An urgent appraisal oftiger reserves, havinglow tiger density andproblems on account ofextremist engineered

disturbances was becomingnecessary so this team, was giventhe responsibility to appraiseValmiki Tiger Reserve (Bihar),Palamau Tiger Reserve(Jharkhand), Manas Tiger Reserve(Assam) and Indravati TigerReserve (Chhattisgarh) on theterms of reference; 1. Appraisal of status of tiger, co-predators and prey animals, 2.Protection efforts taken visà-visthe advisories of Project Tiger /NTCA, 3. Administrative /ecological problems andmanagerial issues, and 4.Suggestions for restoring the areaand eliciting local support tostrengthen protection.

We undertook field visit ofManas Tiger Reserve between 30thSeptember and 5th October 2009and we interacted with cross-section of people includingfrontline staff, senior officials ofthe reserve and Assam ForestDepartment, Deputy Chief ofBodoland Autonomous Council,officials of the civil administrationand Sashastra Seema Bal,community representatives andlocal villagers.

We adopted various methods toaccomplish the objectives ofappraisal and tried to understandthe situations minutely. We alsoattempted understanding the

positive aspects pertaining to tigerconservation in the reserve. Ingeneral, we have a strong feelingthat the reserve is recovering at asignificant pace after several yearsof civil unrest, which caused greatdamage to management,infrastructure and wildlife of thearea. Supports of local communitygroups to built up the damagedinfrastructure and protection ofthe area is commendable. Thetiger reserve management is alsocommitted and trying to re-establish Manas a safe home for

wildlife, but 'system error'inherited to the reserve is themain obstacle, which needs to besorted out at earliest to get thedesired conservation success.During the appraisalwe found that;1. In all practical purposes, theManas National Park area is onlybeing considered as the ManasTiger Reserve area, which is onlyabout 18% of the total area of thetiger reserve. This is one of themain reasons for not having atiger oriented conservation and

WHAT AILS THE MANAS TIGER RESERVEDr. Rathin Barman, Samir Kumar Sinha, Dr. R. K. Singh,Dr. D. S. Srivastava and Dr. R. P. Mishra

One of the very recently encroached areas in Manas Tiger Reserve


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management practices in Manas.2. There is confusion ans poorcommunication between theAssam Forest Department andBodoland Territorial Council onseveral issues pertaining tomanagement of the tiger reserve.3. Tiger occupies most of the areasbut density is low. We couldobserve tiger signs in many areas.Pugmarks of a tigress and cubswere also seen along Beki River inBansbari range. Some NGOs areinvolved in camera trap surveys oftiger and have successfullyphotographed tigers in a smallportion of the tiger reserve.Secondaryinformation suggests increasedsightings of tiger in recent years.4. Density of natural prey is low.Domestic cattle from the fringevillages supplement the naturalprey of tiger.5. Grasslands areas are advancinginto woodlands due to longabsence of proper grasslandmanagement interventions.6. Wildlife monitoring system isnot in place in the reserve andfield staffs are very poorlyoriented towards a systematicwildlife monitoring system.7. Research officer of the reservehas been engaged elsewhere forother assignments and this is one

of the reasons for not having in-house research activities. Limitednumbers of NGOs are doingwildlife research / monitoringactivities in the reserve, but theirefforts are also restricted to asmall area inadequate to providecomprehensive managementinputs.8. Poaching pressure of prey wasreported by local communitymembers however tiger andleopard poaching seems low.9. Infrastructure and humanresources required for effectiveprotection is grosslyInadequate.10. Protection mechanism isbasically dependent on the localvolunteers and long term viabilityof this system is questionable.11. Road along the southernboundary of the National Park areacrucial for protection mechanismbut it is not operational.12. Advisories of NTCA / ProjectTiger regarding the protectionmeasures are poorly followed inthe reserve.13. Encroachment seems to be abig problem in Manas. However,some encroached areas have beenevacuated form unauthorizedhuman settlements; still a largeportion is under encroachment.Several areas of the reserve are

under constant encroachmentthreats.14. Law and order situation hasimproved significantly in theManas Tiger Reserve areas incomparison to recent past time.15. Involvement of local youthgroups as conservation volunteersfor the Manas Tiger Reserve is agood sign of communityparticipation for the managementof the reserve. However, long termviability of these groups needsfurther thoughts.16. Presence of Sashastra SeemaBal (SSB) in the southern boundaryhas strengthen the protectionmechanism in many areas of thereserve. But a regular andsystematic coordination betweenSSB and Forest Department isrequired for more effectiveprotection measures.17. No proper system to report ormonitor of wildlife / forestoffences in the reserve. Only inNational Park area efforts are inplace but it is also inadequate ornot as per standard procedures.

Based on our assessment wemake followingrecommendations:1. There is an urgent need toaddress administrative issues onpriority basis. The confusions

Field visit by the members in Manas TR and discussions with the Field Director


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between the state government andBTC on management of Manas TRshould be resolved and entirereserve should be brought underunified control of the FieldDirectorate for all practicalpurposes.2. The BTC should be a party in allcommittees/bodies meant for themanagement of Manas TR.3. It is needed to reorganize forestdivisions and ranges of the tigerreserve and create sufficient postsof officials and frontline staff tomanage the entire reserve areaeffectively. Sufficientinfrastructure needs to be createdthroughout the reserve. Sufficintfunds should be secured throughthe state and central grants.4. There is a need to develop asystem to regulate the activities ofNGOs in the reserve so as toderive maximum output fromtheir efforts. Volunteers engagedfor protection duties should beunder direct control of the FieldDirector rather than their ownorganizational managementsystem.5. Joint forest patrolling with SSBin the southern boundary and withBhutan counterpart in thenorthern boundary should beinitiated.6. South boundary of the nationalpark should be properlydemarcated and the road alongthe boundary must be madeusable and maintained formanagement and protection of thereserve, especially the core area.Protection camps should beincreased along the southern roadinstead of increasing camps insidethe reserve.7. Frontline staff and conservationvolunteers should be trained forday-to-day monitoring of prey andpredators.8. Local universities and NGOsshould be encouraged toundertake research activities evenoutside the Manas National Park.The reserve management should

create basic facilities in theseareas to attract the researchers.9. Habitat managementinterventions should beemphasized for recovery of thegrasslands.10. Timely fund availability to thereserve must be ensured by theNTCA and state forest department.11. A process should beinstitutionalized to regulateimplementation of BTC fundedactivities by agencies/departmentsother than the reservemanagement and ensure that theactivities are as per themanagement plan of the reserve.Such activities should be broughtinto the notice of state

government as well as NTCA.12. The reserve management, stategovernment and NTCA should actpro-actively to ensure timely fundflow for field based activities andoverall management of thereserve.13. Eco-development activitiesshould be started in the fringevillages to reduce dependency ofvillagers on the reserve. Eco-development committees need tobe constituted for the purpose. Wesuggest implementing eco-development activities throughcompetent NGO rather than theforest department.14. A long term comprehensiveawareness programme is strongly

required to mitigate the human-wildlife conflict problem.Community groups along thesouth boundary may be fundedfor such activities. Compensationfor crop damage and cattle killedoutside the reserve should begiven to the villagers. A realisticcompensation package needs to bedeveloped in consultation withexperts and communities.

It is worth mentioning that thereserve management, BTC andlocal communities have showntheir commitment to regain theold glories of Manas. The park isgetting attention form the civiladministration, BTC and nationaland international NGOs. Rhino

population was wiped out fromthe reserve by poachers during thecivil unrest period. But, nowGovernment of Assam andorganizations like Wildlife Trust ofIndia and WWF-India hassuccessfully brought back thespecies to the park from Kazirangathrough reintroduction andtranslocation programmes. LocalCivil society groups have formedtheir own "conservation volunteers"for helping the park managers forconservation and protectionmeasures. This can be noted as anew beginning for the ManasNational Park. However, similarefforts need to be initiated for theentire Manas Tiger reserve area.


For controlling wildlife crimes information frominformants plays a vital role. Information onwildlife crime can be obtained from (a) public

spirited citizens (for which different organizationsuse different methodologies-some advertise in newspapers, some seek info on their web sites as it isbeing done by NTCA-http://www.tigernet.nic.in etc)(b) Eccentric or nuisance individuals (c ) contacts (d)complaints (e) informants (they can be participating

informants or agent provocateurs) and/ or (f) bycovert or overt means-some of these means can be(1) open sources like reports from news papers andelectronic media, magazines, books etc (2)information from local police (3) Internet (4)Surveillance (5) on file data etc.

The information thus collected by the enforcersfrom different sources can be evaluated andanalyzed for converting it into intelligence, which

Importance of Information in controlling wildlife crimes

WILDLIFE CRIME

By R. Hemanth Kumar I.F.S. Conservator of Forests, Varanasi Circle, (Former Regional Dy. Director, Wildlife Preservation, South Zone)

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Seizure by the army in Langtang, Nepal, Sept 2005 (5 tiger skins and 113 kg bones)


can be used for tactical, operational and strategicpurposes. Information, if it is subjected to six stepsof intelligence process viz. (a) Planning (b) Collection(c) Evaluation (d) Collation (e) Analysis and (f)Dissemination; it becomes intelligence, as expertssay.

This intelligence analysis helps themanagers/enforcers in identification of priorities,risk assessment, targeting, re-deployment ofhuman/technical resources, knowing about modusoperandi of criminals, patterns & trends in crime,links with other crimes, for preparing CRIMINALPROFILES with the photographs of criminals (thatcan be used in latter stages for the preparation ofNational Wildlife Criminal Records- may be in thelines of work done by National Crime ControlBureau) etc purposes, the usage of it can be limitless.

For writing this article I used only two sourcesviz. Magazines (India Today, Frontline etc) / Newspaper reports (Times of India, Hindustan Times,Daily Pioneer, The Hindu, Indian Express etc) andInternet for gathering information on criminals ofwildlife. My search using search engines like Bingoand Google directed me to thousands of webaddresses in a fraction of seconds, of which about60% has got some relevance to my research. Forpreparing this paper I used only a fraction of thatinformation, even though I got a wealth ofinformation (printed notes in 65 A4 size papers). Inthis article I am going to give information on

I. Criminal Gangs, their accomplices, their foreignconnections, modus operandi-under this I discussedabout Shabeer Hassan Qureshi and Sansar Chandonly

II. International Gangs and tiger trade III. Gave a bit of emphasis on books/ technical

papers on wildlife trade etc issues.

Criminal Gangs, their accomplices, theirforeign connectionsSHABEER HASAN QURESHI SANSAR CHANDBrief Back ground:Shabeer Hasan Qureshi and Sansar Chand arepartners in wildlife crime and relatives. Shabeer'sbrother-in-law Mohammad Ayub is reportedlymarried to the sister of Rani Saini, wife of SansarChand. Nidhi Mittal reported in Daily Pioneer on 6thOctober 2010, that their association goes back to theyear 1995, when both of them were caught in June1995 from Taj Hotel in Saharanpur, UP with 2 tigerpelts and 60 kgs of tiger bone.

(A) Shabeer Hasan Qureshi

Shabeer Hasan Qureshi, a notorious wildlife criminalfrom, Fatehpur / Allahabad region of Uttar Pradeshis presently in Naini Central Jail since 2008, after hewas arrested in December 2007 in connection withthe famous Khaga seizure that took place in the year2000 (where in 1880 leopard and 132 tiger clawsneatly packed in polythene bags, pelts of 150leopard, 4 tiger and 221 blackbucks, 150 kg ofleopard and tiger bones, two leopard teeth and adried leopard penis, were seized). This entireconsignment is to be sent to Siliguri, West Bengal;from here they might have been destined to Lhasavia Sangsang (this place came into prominence in theyear 2003, when 31 tiger, 581 leopard and 778 otterskins were caught from a truck, some of these skinsare neatly packed in Delhi edition of Times of Indiarevealing their Indian origin-they were neatlyphotographed and reported in their "Tiger Skin Trail"by a team of EIA and WPSI). Shabeer Hasan Qureshimanaged to evade arrest at that time but 25members of his family including his wife, three sons(he has 4 sons, the fourth one is the owner of a hotelvalued at Rs 1100 crores in Dubai), his father,brother, brother-in-law etc were arrested. In the year2007, SIT, UP police finally could caught him withhis 15 accomplices, of them 12 are expert poachersfrom Katni area of M.P, among the others to becaught were his 2 sons Sarfaraz Ahmad and Siyaz,and his brother-in-law Mohammad Ayub. Arrestedamong them is Sukh Chiana, wife of Dauwa (amember of Kanti Lal gang) another notoriouscriminal. Dauwa at present is residing in Khirainivillage, which is on the road that leads to theBandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

Shabeer's name came into criminal records forthe first time in May 1995, when he was arrested forthe first time on the Ganga Bridge in Hardwar withpelts of 4 tigers.

Shabeer, a ruthless criminal has about 1200people in his pay roll running across in India, Nepaland China. Shabeer reportedly is the owner of 3palatial houses in Allahabad and two in Delhicollectively valued at Rs 22 crore and has twoGerman cars, which are now attached by UP policeunder UP Gangsters act. (Source: Meet Shabeer byNidhi Mittal published in Daily Pioneer dated 6thOctober 2010)

(B) Sansar ChandSansar Chand was born in 1958, and has beeninvolved with the wildlife skin trade virtually all hislife. He was first arrested at an age of 16, inSeptember 1974, in a case involving tiger andleopard skins and 676 other wildlife skins. Sansar

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and his gang members have at least 100 court casespending against them in nine states in India - Delhi,Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttaranchal, UttarPradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, andKarnataka. Despite the large number of cases againstSansar and his colleagues, he has only received 3convictions - for his first case in Delhi in 1974, andfor a case in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, in January 2003 (inApril 2004, he was convicted to five yearsimprisonment by Ajmer court). Now the Delhi highcourt sentenced him with imprisonment.

Many of Sansar Chand's close relatives are in thetrade. WPSI identified that about 35 members of hisfamily are involved in the crime. Important amongthem are-his wife Rani Saini, his son Akash,(presently in Jaipur jail), his brothers- Raj Kumar,Narayan etc.

Sansar Chand's brothers mostly act as peddlersand suppliers of snares, traps etc. Sansar Chandowns a house in Sadar Bazaar area of Delhi, which isclose to Majnu Ka Tila, a place in news after thearrest of Tibetan peddlers with pelts.

Poachers, Peddlers, suppliers of poaching materialsVery often in this type of organized crime the

difference between poachers, peddlers and suppliersof snares etc is blurred. The deadly cocktail of familyorganized crime syndicate and intimacy among thegangs through family kinships is making them aunified and dreaded force. The list is a vast one;some of the prominent names that appeared inpress are as given below:

1. Lala Qureshi (presently in Jail), a resident ofShahdol, is believed to be an important supplier ofpelts to Shabbir Hasan

2. Prabhakar Keshav Gajakosh of Hubli, DharwarDist of Karnataka, Abdul Khader Chowdhary ofHyderabad were arrested in a joint operation byKarnataka and Andhra Pradesh police at Hyderabadin Feb 2008 in connection with recovery of pelts ofone Tiger, 23 Leopard and 43 common Otters fromthe house of Mr. Gajakosh. The duo sells wildlifeproducts to Mr. Rajkumar, brother of Sansar Chandand to Shabeer Hassan Qureshi. The duo hascontacts with Hariprasad Lasakchand, father ofDurra, a Bahelia tribesman who is specialised intrapping the wild animals using jaw traps. PrabhakarKeshav Gajakosh's brother Panaji Keshav Gajakosh isalso a part of the crime. Poachers of Gir Lions namedGajakosh as a trader, with whom they were in touchwith. Gajakosh admitted to his interrogators that hepurchased leopard and tiger pelts from Pappu,Akash and Dorra of the Katni gang of MP, in turn

sold them to Abdul Khader Chowdhary, who thensold them to Narayan and Rajkumar brothers ofSansar Chand-----a south Indian connection to thetiger trade

3. Narayan is currently in a jail in Alwar;Rajasthan He was caught on charges of poaching aPanther in Tehla region in Sariska in 2004. He isnamed in the Delhi seizure of January 31, 2005which brought out two tiger skins, 38 leopard skins,a snow leopard skin, 42 otter skins and otherwildlife parts. Then there is the Hubli and Haliyalseizure after which Gajakosh was arrested. Narayanwas also a part of that, not to mention another casepertaining to Ramnagar in Nainital in 2009 where atiger skin and a skeleton was seized, involving nineother offenders. The CBI has registered a caseagainst him under the Maharashtra Control ofOrganized Crime Act (MCOCA). Narayan is wantedby the security agencies of Karnataka, Gujarat, UP,Uttarkhand and Delhi.

4. Bheema, Sansar's key aide in all his operationseven while he was in jail. When the Wildlife CrimeControl Bureau (WCCB) received specific Intelligencethat Bheema had tiger bones, tiger fat, body partsand implements for poaching at his home inGurgaon, it helped authorities nab not just him but12 other members of his network

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Tiger and leopard skin for sale on the main street ofLitang, Sichuan Province, Aug 2005


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5. Dariya, an expert poacher, and his wifeBaghmati are both residents of Samalkha, Panipatdistrict in Haryana. Dariya was first arrested inBahoriband range of Jabalpur forest divison in 1988with 8 spring traps, 1 hyena skin, 1 tiger skin, tigerbones, tiger paws, and tiger fat in his possession, butwas released on bail. He was rearrested in April 2008in Corbett National Park with poaching equipment (2tiger traps), but once again managed to get bail. InMarch 2009, when the husband and wife duo wereposturing as beggars in Ramnagar, Uttarkhand,police from Madhya Pradesh apprehended them.Now both of them were convicted for a jail term of 3years by the court at Sihora, Jabalpur.

6. Times of India reported on 8th October 2010that women named Sundar Devi along with her 8years old grand son Mahavir were caught fromManguraha jungles of Valmikinagar Tiger Reserve inBihar's West Champaran district adjacent to theIndo-Nepal border, where the duo had laid an irontrap for unsuspecting big cats. Sundar is the wife ofnotorious poacher Dariya Singh, not to be confusedwith another one with the same name.

7. Laxman Pardhi, a poacher, peddler andsupplier of traps and his accomplice Kamala werearrested by officials of Madhya Pradesh in Sept 2007from Chanera village in Khandwa district. They areactive in Melghat area of Madhya Pradesh.

8. Birbal alias Totha Ram, a resident of Panipat,

Haryana was arrested recently in Champawat dist ofUttarkhand with a tiger trap, knives, skinning tools,a net etc. He was arrested twice before to it-in May2003 and in August 2004. He hails from a family ofpoachers, his sister Dilpo, another noted criminalpresently in Philibit jail facing 5 year imprisonmentfor a tiger poaching case of 1992. She got minorpunishment in 2005 too by a court in Bahraich forcarrying the skin and bones of a tiger

9. Mihir Srivastava in his article titled "Trackingthe Tiger Killers" published in India Today issuedated 28th May 2010 mentioned that Dabuliya Baihead of a clan of the Pardhis reportedly delivered 35tiger skins to Sansar chand. He further reported thather husband Raj Mahal with his gang is believed tohave killed 35-40 tigers in Maharashtra andKarnataka. Her brother, Siddhe Singh, died in jailserving a sentence for tiger poaching. Daru, whooperated in Gujarat and Karnataka and is underarrest for poaching, is a relative. Her nephew, AjitPardhi is also in this trade.

10. Lallan Pardhi was arrested from Shahdol,Madhya Pradesh and is in jail facing 3 yearsimprisonment.

11. Wildlife trader Jagdish Lodha from Bawariacommunity is arrested by Nepal Police inKathmandu. He is believed to have given patronageto 50 families of Bawaria poachers

12. Sarkaslal Pardhi, the kingpin of the lionpoaching gang in Gir Sanctuary, was convicted byJunagarh Court after he was arrested in Una TownApril 2007, has connections with a south Indiantrader Prabhakar Keshav Gajakosh. He is native ofBaijan village in Hosangabad district in MadhyaPradesh, a master poacher of Tigers and now mighthave shifted to poaching of Gir Lions

13. Sachmer Singh alias Dadi Pardhi is active inMelghat area

14. Bahadur Singh gang of Katni now in tokillings of lions

15. "English" is another dreaded criminal in totiger poaching. His accomplices include his relativeslike Mintar Singh (A resident of Shahmagar nearPanna), who is in jail, others like Daryawani, Lalarsiwho are at large. He commands a gang of 35 people.Mintar Singh is wanted in Gir Lion killing case byGujarat police was arrested by MP police in theborder of Katni and Panna District.

16. Many named poachers like Baburu Pardhi,Dauwa and his wife Sukh Chiana and manyunnamed poachers arrested from time to time bypolice are active in tiger trade.

17. Some of the criminals that are active in killingof Tigers from Ranthambore and Sariska areas of


WILDLIFE CRIME

Rajasthan are Pirthia and Kesra who hail from Kotaand Bundi in Rajasthan; Devi Singh is a sarpanch ofDhamni village in adjacent Sheopur in MadhyaPradesh is considered to be conduit of the pelts. Allthree at present are in jail.

18. Prahlad, Ram Singh, and Raju at Dumariyavillage who are involved in tiger killings are someother names which prominently appear in tigerkilling cases, are arrested in Bharatpur District,Rajasthan.

These are just a few names and the list asmentioned is not exhaustive, it's only an indicativeone.

Foreign Connection: It's being reported that previously some people fromKashmir are involved in tiger smuggling trade, butwith increasing numbers of arrests of some Tibetans,it's now being suspected that this community mightbe active. Some of the important Tibetans arrested inrecent times are as given below:

Sansar Chand admitted to C.B.I. that the followingare his main "clients".

1. Tsering Atup Tamang a.k.a (a.k.a: also knownas) Sonam Lama of Kathmandu, who was arrested inNovember 2005. Sansar Chand admitted that he sold300 tiger skins, 2,000 leopard skins, 6,000 fox skinsand 4,000 cat skins to him. Meetings between thetwo would take place in New Delhi's ConnaughtPlace or Majnu Ka Tila. Tamang a repeat offenderwas arrested on 5 January 2003 in Lucknow inpossession of 12 leopard skins along with AmeenAhmad, a relative of Shabeer Hasan Qureshi, andWakil, brother of Ameen Ahmad. He was alsoinvolved in illegal Shahtoosh trade.

2. Tashi Tshering a.k.a Chhewang Utke Lama ofHumala district in Nepal: Arrested. Sansar claimed tohave sold 20 tiger skins, 60 leopard skins and 100otter skins to him.

3. Pema Limi: One of Chand's "biggest clients"since early '90s.

4. Tenzing Lama: Allegedly bought 100 tigerskins, 70 leopard skins and 100 otter skins fromChand

5. Neema Kampa, a Tibetan, was arrested in Delhiby Rajasthan Police, is the kingpin in pelt smuggling.

6. Other prominent Nepali/ Tibetan names in theskin trade are Tashi a.k.a Wanchoo, TamdingKhamba (both reportedly wanted inKhaga/Ghaziabad/Siliguri seizures), Gopal Gurung(arrested at Kooli bazaar in Kanpur), Prem BhutiaGurung (a man wanted by Siliguri Police), PasongChimbel Lama, arrested in Nepal with 109 skins ofleopards, Pema Thinley of Leh and MohammedYakub, who were arrested in connection with 1993's

Delhi/ Ghaziabad seizure, Jampa Lama, who wasarrested in Nepalgang in 2004, Konchok Lama ……the names are unending. Newer and newer personsare entering this illegal activity due to laxenforcement and un-deterrent sentences. Photos ofthese people will definitely help the enforcers inbetter enforcement.

Modus operandi:Poachers are hired and sent to the jungles by thesmugglers like Sansar chand. The hunting party,including women and children, sets off by train tothe target zone. Reaching the targeted forest, theycamp in the vicinity, setting up temporary shopsselling cheap jewellery/ country medicines/rudraksh (they fetch rudraksh from Nepal) as acover. It takes them just a few days to learn abouttiger movements in the area. Once they find out themovement of tiger they set meat for attractingtigers/ leopards and lay iron traps en-route [herecomes the utility of DSMDs -Deep Search MetalDetectors]. Once the tiger is trapped they pierce themouth of tigers by poisoned spears mounted onbamboo sticks and then they do the preliminarytanning (use turmeric and salt) at the site itself afterthe tiger is skinned. Flesh along with bones is buriedand the bones are taken back after some time. Usageof muzzle-loading guns and poisoned pellets arealso some times used for killing of tigers. They callskins as "chaadars"

International Gangs and Tiger trade:1. Bryan Christy in his article titled "Asia's

Wildlife Trade: The Kingpin" published in theJanuary 2010 issue of National Geographicmentioned the arrest of Anson Wong's by the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service. Bryan mentioned in hisarticle that primarily Anson Wong is a reptilesmuggler based in Malaysia is now into tigersmuggling too. He further mentioned that Anson like

IFA

W

Tiger bone wine openly available for sale in China


WILDLIFE CRIME

all other animal smugglers uses the web sitewww.vorras.net for selling his products.

Such websites can be a source of information forour enforcers too.

2. PRNewswire-US Newswire reported on 8thOctober 2010 that a coordinated international lawenforcement operation by INTERPOL and IFAW hasled to the arrest of 25 Asians suspected of takingpart in the illicit trade of tigers.

3. Findings by the CID of West Bengal revealedthat Bangladeshi money lenders are behind killingsof Sunderbans tigers

Books/ Articles on Wildlife crime:(A) There are many books and investigative

articles written on the tiger poaching, markets, traderoutes etc some of the titles are:

1. What's driving the wildlife trade: A discussionpaper published by TRFFIC International; amongother things, this paper documented beautifullyabout interventions to address illegal andunsustainable wildlife trade-a must read paper

2. "Skinning the Cat: crime and politics of the bigskin trade": published by EIA and WPSI-among otherthings explained about the trans-Himalayan traderoutes-a must read

3. Far from a cure: the tiger trade revisited byKristin Nowell an excellent informative paper onTCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)

4. KILLED FOR A CURE: A Review of theWorldwide Trade in Tiger Bone: A TRAFFIC Speciesin Danger report by Judy A. Mills and Peter Jackson

August 1994, an excellent paper,5. "The Tiger Skin Trail" A report of EIA and WPSI,

is excellent and worth reading,as it tells us about the traderoutes, crime syndicates etc.

6. The International WildlifeTrade and Organized Crime Areview of the evidence and therole of the UK by Dee Cook,Martin Roberts and JasonLowther

7. Booklets published byagencies like Wildlife CrimeControl Bureau etc

(B) For field personnel it ishigh time that they should haveknowledge on the issues relatedto basic forensics, some of theinteresting and informativebooks / articles on this subjectare:

8. "Wildlife Crime: AnEnforcement Guide " By Vivek

Menon and Ashok Kumar9. Arrow versus gunshots: tips for field

investigators published in international game warden10. Bear and Cat claws by Sims, M.E. and B.C.

Yates. 200111. Shot pellets: an overview By: Mary-Jacque

Manni, Edgard O. Espinoza', Rhoda M. Ralston',Richard K. Stroud', Michael D. Scanlan and Steven,Strauss

12. Identification of mid-size cat skullsIdentification Guides for Wildlife Law Enforcementby Margaret "Cookie" E. Sims National Fish andWildlife Forensics Laboratory, 1490 E Main Street,Ashland, OR 97520

13. Distinguishing real vs. fake tiger penisesIdentification Guides for Wildlife Law EnforcementNo. 6 by Bonnie C. Yates National Fish and WildlifeForensics Laboratory 1490 East Main Street Ashland,OR 97520

(C) Other Resources:14. Information on seizures of wildlife articles-

world wide between 1997-2010 , can be obtainedfrom http://www.traffic.org/traffic-bulletin/traffic_bulletin_seizures_1997-2010.pdf

15. "Animal Investigators" by Dr. Laurel Neme.

The coordinated efforts with the line departmentslike police (including the CID, local intelligence units,SIT etc), dedication and smartness of the staff,improved analytical capabilities, empathy by theconcerned citizens, and enforcers assisted withtechnology (to name a few-usage of M-STrIPES, usingApplied Wildlife Genetics in crime detection, usingDSMDs for detecting camouflaged metallic traps,

snares etc, using ThermalCameras, using Species specificsoftware like MIKE-the one that isdeveloped for elephants, its fullname is Monitoring of IllegalKillings of Elephants, etc) can onlysave our majestic Tigers.

Amongst us, we can find aplenty of persons like DuruBaloch, a former forest guard ofthe Gir sanctuary, from whom lionnails were recovered, has alsobeen arrested on the charge ofabetting poaching as he tookpoachers in to the waterholes inthe deep jungles and at the sametime we have people like SanatanBarkachari, poacher turned forestguard of Manas Tiger Reserve,who killed about 28 poachers tillnow and Babulal Orang of Manas

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WILDLIFE CRIME

Tiger Reserve, whom his colleagues fondly callRambo, killed about 35 poachers-both of themdeservedly got bravery awards constituted by TigerConservation Programme for their valor. We havepeople like Saroj Kumar Mohanty of Similipal TigerReserve in Orissa, Udayan of Mudhumalai sanctuary,and Ram Kumar of Dudhwa National Park who arereal jems. I wish that in the days to come we willhear the names of more and more such people.

We have organizations like Belinda Wright's WPSI,Ashok Kumar's WTI, TRAFFIC India, under the ableleadership of Sameer Sinha, EIA (Debbie Banks andher associates are doing a very good work) are doingwonders in documenting the crime, assisting in thecapture of poachers and imparting training to theenforcement authorities. NTCA, a nodal agency fortiger conservation in India is doing excellent work intheir designated field. Endeavors like impartingtraining to enforcers of wildlife act, in the science offorensics in association with Gujarat ForensicScience Laboratory, Ahmadabad by WWF and itsattempt in association with the Government of MPfor rehabilitating Pardhi tribes (under Pardhi project)are also worth mentioning. Very good, informativeand investigative articles by our friends injournalism very often are finding their place in

reputed print media, which definitely will help inpromoting empathy for tigers. NDTV's andAIRCELL's save tiger campaigns are worthmentioning too, as they are exemplifying their rolein Corporate Social Responsibility (Elkington's TripleBottom Line concept in action?). All these willdefinitely improve the enforcement, which can give abreathing space to our Wild tigers. This will furtherhelp us in devising a strategy for interventions alongthe entire illegal tiger trade chain.

It is time for all of us to work hard in protectingnot only the tiger habitat but also the tigers frombeing poached, other wise the majestic nationalanimal- Tiger will be either confined to books or toZoos or as Shera, the mascot. It's high time oneshould recognize that the Earth is green as there arecarnivores around us, if we ignore it then theexistence of mankind will be under severe peril.

Disclaimer: The information given in this article isnot an exhaustive one; it's only an indicative one. Iam not claiming that information given in this articleis from my own investigations. I am just trying toascertain how information, that is freely available,can be used by enforcers in knowing about criminals,their accomplices, modalities and finally in the controlof wildlife crimes.

The Moyar Valley is an important wildlife corridor between three major wildlifehabitats in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve - Mudumalai/Nagerhole Tiger Reserve,Coimbatore Division/Silent Valley and The Eastern Ghats (Sathyamangalam / BiligiriRanga Temple Sanctuary / Bannergatta National Park).

Tiger from Moyar Valley - these were taken on a hillockdecending into the valley area. (WWF - India NEG project)


INITIATIVES

The National TigerConservation Authority(NTCA), Ministry of

Environment and Forests,Government of India constitutedcommittees to monitor theprogress of relocation of villagesfrom the core / critical areas inTiger Reserves vide OfficeMemorandum F.NO. 15-63/2008-NTCA, dated 23rd April 2010. Thecommittees were given the task ofmonitoring on the followingTerms of Reference;

A. Actual progress on fieldimplementation / relocation offamilies vis-avis the Wild LifeProtection (Act) 1972 and theadvisories /guidelines issued inthis regard from the NTCA.

B. Shortfalls / complaints from

the relocated people, if any.C. Suggestions for

improvement.

The team was given the task tomonitor the progress in MadhyaPradesh and Chhattisgarh states.For this, the Satpura TigerReserve, Madhya Pradesh wasvisited by the team from 19-21July, 2010.

The Reserve has received fundsto relocate two forest villages; Boriand Sakot. Bori village has beenrehabilitated near Semri Harchandin May 2009, but process forrelocation of Sakot has beenstarted recently. Relocation of Borivillage has secured 280 ha forestland in the Reserve. The New Borivillage has been established on a

forest land.Villagers of Bori, majority from

the Gond tribe, have availedOption II of the relocationpackage i.e. ‘rehabilitation of thevillage by forest department’.Under the package 118 eligiblefamilies were identified forrehabilitation by the Collector. Afive member committee of thevillagers was elected by thevillagers. Layout of the village wasdecided by a 10 membercommittee. Total budget forrelocation of the village is Rs.11.80 crores, out of which Rs.2.95 crore has been allocated forhouse construction and incentivesfor relocation. Each eligible familywas given Rs. 2 lakh for houseconstruction. A lady sociologist

Progress of Village Relocation fromthe SATPURA TIGER RESERVEDr. D. S. Srivastava / Dr. Samir Kumar Sinha / Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar


was involved for facilitation. Thevillagers have constructed housesthemselves as per their need andchoice.

House construction work iscompleted. Sufficient number ofbore-well has been provided forclean potable water. Every eligiblefamily has been provided with 2hectare agriculture land for whichcommon irrigation facility hasbeen provided. Villagers havealready harvested one crop.District Agriculture Department,Forest Department and a localNGO helped the villagerspracticing improved agriculture.LPG cylinder with a stove andelectricity connection has beenprovided to all households.Community solar power is alsobeing provided. All linedepartments have rendered duesupport to the new village.

The villagers raised someissues / complaints which shouldbe taken care of in futurerelocation projects. There was nopersonal complaint of any villager.The issues brought before uswere; a long time gap betweenproposal sent to NTCA by theForest Department (after decisionof Gram Sabha on voluntarilyrelocation) and availability offunds, shortage of funds as aresult of increase in number ofeligible families due to a time lagbetween the proposal sent to the

NTCA and availability of funds,and conflicts and clashes with thehost village over sharing ofnatural resources. The villagersalso pointed out a case of landdispute in the rehabilitated area;the matter is in the court.

The team put forwardfollowing key recommendationsand suggestion;

1. The Forest Departmentshould project the number ofeligible families

down the years (there shouldbe 2-3 cut off dates for the nextfew years with estimated fundsrequired) and mention it in theproposal to NTCA, so that NTCAcould assess the actual numberwhile allocating then funds.

2. The money against rightsettlement of the villagers shouldalso be given to them afteridentifying and extinguishing theforest rights.

3. The villagers requirehandholding at least for next fiveyear. A handholding mechanismshould be developed by involvingreputed NGOs and there shouldbe separate budgetary provisionfor this.

4. Key personnel of the ForestDepartment, who have beeninvolved in relocation of a villageand making positive impacts,should not be transferred.

5. There should be provisionsto reduce dependency of villagers

for grazing on the adjoining forestarea. Community cattle shed withprovisions of stall feeding andpromotion of power tillers inagriculture could be some goodoptions.

6. Before a village isrehabilitated to a new place, Gram– Sabha of the host village shouldbe taken into confidence to avoidconflicts with the new settlers.

7. Scientific studies onecological succession and habitatuse by wildlife in the vacated areaof the tiger reserve and socio-economic changes in therehabilitated community shouldbe undertaken to assess overallimpact of relocation andrehabilitation on the tiger reserveas well as the villagers.

The committee feels that therehabilitation of Bori village by theForest Department has observedseveral good practices;participation of the villagers in theentire process of planning andreconstructing the New Borivillage, and maintainingtransparency in decision makingare some of them. Forest officialshave properly facilitated theinvolvement of line departmentfor all necessary provisions. Thevillagers are satisfied with thefacilities created. Economicupliftment of the villagers ismeasurable and visible.

Published and printed by Inder Mohan Singh Kathuria on behalf of National Tiger Conservation Authority. Published at Annexe No 5, Bikaner House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi - 110011 and

printed at Astha Packaging, 122 DSISC Sheds, Okhla Phase I, New Delhi - 110020

STRIPES | BI-MONTHLY OUTREACH JOURNAL OF NATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY,A STATUTORY BODY UNDER MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

VOLUME ONE FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION ISSUE FIVE

DELENG/2009/30636

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