‘Don’t leak information about endangered species to media’

The Hindu , Monday, August 29, 2016
Correspondent : VIJAYKUMAR PATIL
Some wildlife activists have taken exception to Forest Department officials leaking highly sensitive information related to camera trapping tigers showing their presence in a specific location, to the media.

Activists, while requesting anonymity, told The Hindu here last week that the leakage of information had come at a time when the Forest Department and wildlife activists were worried about the threat to tigers from poachers across the country.

Recently, sensitive information by forest officials about camera trapping a tiger and mentioning the specific location of a tigress along with its cubs in the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Belagavi district to a section of media had raised serious concerns about the safety of these felines in the Khanapur forests, as such information may help poachers target these endangered wildcats.

The activists appreciated the efforts of the State Forest Department whose contribution has helped the State hold a tiger survey and requested senior officials to direct their juniors not to disclose such sensitive information to the media.

Though tiger numbers have gone up in the country, unnatural deaths of these felines due to poaching, poisoning, electrocution, etc., have been a serious concern. According to the database of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, 68 tigers have died due to a variety of reasons such as in-fighting, drowning, poaching, electrocution and poisoning. Apart from deaths, tiger body parts have been seized in 15 incidents across the country, the activists said.

Of the 68 deaths, 11 tigers died in the State, of which two were reportedly due to poaching.

One tiger was reportedly poached in 2015 in Chikkamagaluru territorial division, which information came to light this year and is now under investigation.

One more tiger was recently shot down with a country-made gun inside the Bandipur Tiger Reserve a couple of weeks ago. Apart from tigers, unnatural deaths of leopards are also worrying the department and the activists. Recently, a leopard was found dead under mysterious conditions near the Kabini backwaters near Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

In one more incident, two leopards, including a melanistic one, were found poisoned close to Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kankumbi, Londa, Nagargali, Khanapur territorial ranges in the Belagavi Forest Division are home to endangered species such as tiger, leopard and other wildlife animals.

However, there are hundreds of villages and public access places within these forests. There have been also many incidents of cattle-kill by tigers and leopards in these areas.

Hence, mentioning the exact location of the presence of these species may help poachers to target them by poisoning or other ways.

While the activists appreciated the support and encouragement they received from the media for wildlife conservation, they earnestly appealed to the media not to publish such sensitive information in the interest of wildlife conservation.

 
SOURCE : http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/dont-leak-information-about-endangered-species-to-media/article9044460.ece
 


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