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Future Tense For Cute Cheetah Cubs of Kuno

  Kuno National park released two short documentaries with beautiful pictures of cheetah cubs and their mothers.The cute cheetah cubs in the moving pictures  attract eyeballs. Cheetah siblings playing in the lush green grasslands after monsoon in Kuno fascinate all and sundry. For record, in the last 24 months, the same number of cheetahs survived- 12 adult cheetahs of the original 20 airlifted from Africa – Namibia and South Africa- and 12 of the 17 cubs born in Kuno. As the Union ministry of Environment ,Forest  and Climate Change (MoEFC&C) celebrates the “two successful years of the cheetah project in Kuno”, lo and behold, all the cheetahs are still in captivity and none of them are free ranging so far.What  is the future of these cubs . Their future  is  linked with the  future of  the cheetah project.  Safe in Boma, Cubs Yet to Face Jungle Threats The documentaries showcase  playful  cheetah cubs in Kuno. The first cheetah...
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Death of a Superstar Highlights Signifiance of Tiger Corridors

                                                         

A superstar-tiger of Panna National Park popularly known as Hira was poached. Code named 234-31,Hira was about 2 years of age and was perhaps headed towards Ranipur wildlifesanctuary in Chitrakoot Uttar Pradesh when he was electrocuted and de-skinned brutally by the poachers. For thousands of tourists and wildlife photographers,Hira along with his sibling Panna assumed a status of superstars because of thefrequent sightings and the photo opportunities they provided to the visitors of Akola wildlife tourist zone in the buffer area of the park.  They were born in November 2019 to Tigress P234 in her third litter. Panna,  the sibling of Hira, is still entertaining  the tourists. 

Tiger Unsafe Outside Protected Area


As Hira was radio collared, his whereabouts were known tothe forest department. But tigers are not monitored on an hourly or day to daybasis. After leaving the Akola zone on July 24 , Hira remained in Panna’s  north division forest for about a month. Laterhe entered the jungles of the adjoining Satna and continued moving. He was found dead about 90 to 100 kms away from the Akola zone.   Expertsbelieve that   in the absence of a jungle corridor, the tigermovement was not smooth. “ This is the reason why most of the tigers are poached or electrocuted when they move out from protected areas. 

Also read: Photo Ops Over, Tigers Leave the Fans

This incident has once again highlighted the importance of tiger corridors, especially in Panna landscape where a river linking project and proposed diamond mining have threatened the jungles and  its tigers.”Hira’s last satellite location and GPS readings were registered on October 13. “After this the collar stopped sending the location and we thought it might have developed some technical problem. When it did not send signals for 3 to 4 days,   an alert was sounded for the officials of Satna”. 


Department officials said that the radio collar generally survives for 6 to 7 months and the one around his neck was about 9 to 10 months old.  No one could say with certainty about the destination of the tiger, but the route undertaken by him would have led him to  Ranipur wildlife sanctuary near Chitrakoot, a jungle  in Uttar Pradesh known for sheltering the tigers dispersing from  Panna in the past also.

Professional Poachers  


Perhaps, a handiworkof poachers, very active in Satna and Katni – the two districts close to Panna and Bandhavgarh National Parks, the tiger was killed brutally.  “After poaching, the body was disposed off ina nearby water body. The radio collar was also thrown.”  

Also read: Avni's killing: Core Issue of Tiger Corridors Lost in Oblivion

Experts believe that “only those whounderstand the value of the tiger skin   can de-skin the animal. Had it been the caseof accidental electrocution, the whole body would have been disposed off.” Fieldstaff of the forest department spotted the radio collar and it was only then the death of Hira was confirmed. Three persons were also arrested. But department sources said that there is more than meets the eye and the poaching case requires a thorough investigation. The incident should also  be a wake up call for the department as it shows the active presence of poachers  ahead of the favourable poaching period of November to January. 
Cover Pic: Representational Image
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Location: Ranipur wildlife sanctuary, Unnamed Road, Kalyanpur, Uttar Pradesh 210208, India

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