November 16th, 2011
On November 9, Dr. Anil Bhardwaj, a member of the Indian Forest Service in Kerala State currently working at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), visited the World Bank and presented the findings of a study undertaken in the Periyar Tiger Reserve in India. His audience included Bank environment specialists and the Global Tiger Initiative Secretariat team.
Read more »
November 4th, 2011
On Tuesday, October 18, Terry Thompson, the owner of a wild animal preserve in Zanesville, Ohio, released dozens of exotic animals from their cages before killing himself. The released animals included Bengal tigers, which are endangered in the wild, as well as lions, mountain lions, and grizzly bears. The county police authorities had to put down those animals to ensure the safety of Zanesville citizens.
Read more »
August 30th, 2011
by Susan Lumpkin, GTI Consultant
Park entranceMonsoonal rains nearly drowned out a Global Tiger Initiative team’s visit to Chu Mom Ray National Park, one of Vietnam’s highest priority areas for the recovery of wild tigers in that Southeast Asian nation. But after a delayed flight out of Hanoi and an unplanned stop in Danang for emergency plane repairs, Keshav Varma, Andrey Kushlin, John Seidensticker, and I landed in the Central Highlands city of Pleiku and headed for the park about 60 kilometers away. We were accompanied by Vuong Tien Manh of the Vietnam Forestry Administration.
Read more »
April 22nd, 2011
by Susan Lumpkin, GTI Consultant
Read more »
The barking alarm calls of sambar and spotted deer echoed across the grassland from the forested hillside in the distance. On cue, domestic elephants toting camera-laden tourists lumbered toward the tree-covered banks of the river. The agitation of the deer meant that a tiger lurked in the jungle, well camouflaged among the brush but there, somewhere. All we could do now was wait and wonder. Would the tiger settle down for a mid-morning snooze or emerge into the open—and our view—on some mission or another?
February 19th, 2010
Read more »
We were on 3 elephants; Dhitoo, the obstinate, had made a kill. The morning air was cold and fragrant. We slowly ambled through the river and the grassland. This was Corbett at its best. The crows were pointing to the spot and soon the elephants could sense the presence of the tiger. Sitting on the Howdah I could feel the shiver pass through my elephant. Every one was alert and there was tension and excitement. As we grew close, the Mahawats brought the 3 elephants close to each other. One of the elephants stepped on a branch behind which Dhitoo was – a thunderous roar and a lightening charge. Dhitoo was a very big male tiger, the elephants were well trained and stood their ground, though a friend lost a sola topee in the excitement.
October 28th, 2009
Read more »
The first day of the Kathmandu Tiger Workshop got off to a fun start with a burst of energy from Nepal’s youth. Junior high students from 30 of Nepal’s schools rallied and marched through the center of town carrying banners and signs of support for conservation and habitat protection. Hundreds of students along with some government officials carrying signs and wearing tiger outfits at the break of day. The Minister of Forests and Soil Conservation of Nepal, Deepak Bohara, spoke to the crowd, thanking and encouraging the students to be active, as it will soon be up to them to take responsibility for Nepal’s natural resource problems, and they will determine the country’s future.
October 24th, 2009
A few of the participants and delegates to the Tiger Workshop are starting to show up. Huge tiger billboards and posters greet arrivals at the Kathmandu International Airport and the main thoroughfares in the city. Organizing teams at the Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation are hard at work with logistical preparations.
October 23rd, 2009
Just heard news that the world-reknowned media company and global advertising agency PUBLICIS will be attending the Kathmandu Tiger Workshop and will be presenting their innovative “contagious” ideas about how to address the huge demand for illicit tiger parts in Asia. Also, experts in infrastructure from the World Bank are going to present their newest ideas on “Smart Green Infrastructure” next Wednesday. The presentation is entitled “Arresting Habitat Deterioration: Smart Infrastructure and Land Use.”
October 23rd, 2009
Upon arrival in Kathmandu a few days ago to prepare for the Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop, my first impressions were of a city going about its business at an almost leisurely pace. I should have known – it was the last few days of Tihar – a five day Hindu holiday celebrated in Nepal (the festival of lights). Since then, the streets have crowded, the horns are honking, and the bikes are spewing dust. Power outages are a daily occurrence – only the government and luxury hotels with generators seem to be able to go along with their business without the delays incurred by electricity shortages. Over the next few days, a trickle of wildlife conservationists and government delegations will turn into a downpour. The Global Tiger Initiative and Kathmandu Tiger Workshop will be moving into full ‘war room’ mode. There is a lot at stake here – it’s going to be interesting.
