India's 'Tiger state' reports at least 11 rare cub sightings

Forest officials record first births for many years in parts of Madhya Pradesh

Jamie Grierson

Sat 18 May 2019 15.43 BSTLast modified on Sat 18 May 2019 16.26 BST

Forest officials in Madhya Pradesh state, in India, have reported several tiger cub sightings, the first for years in some parts of the region.

At least 11 cubs have been sighted in the last week, including five in Panna Tiger Reserve and three each in Nauradehi and Ratapani sanctuaries.

In Nauradehi, armed police were called in to protect the cubs, sighted on 9 May, the first tiger births in the sanctuary for years.

Fourteen tiger deaths have been reported this year in Madhya Pradesh, which was once known as the “Tiger state” but lost its reputation due to dwindling numbers of the big cat, the Times of India reported.

One of the tigers was killed by a live wire trap earlier this month, resulting in the arrest of three villagers, who had allegedly laid the trap for game meat. Wildlife activists have blamed a lack of summer patrolling for the deaths.

Madhya Pradesh was losing the highest number of tigers a year in India, the Week reported. The 2014 wildlife census found the state had 308 tigers – the third-highest in India, behind Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. Available statistics show 97 tigers have died in the state since January 2016, many of them killed by poachers.

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New London Zoo triplet tiger cubs in 'rude health'

Six months after a rare tiger cub died, London Zoo's new triplet cubs have been given a clean bill of health.

The Sumatran tigers born in February were examined, sexed, vaccinated and micro-chipped.

They were born in February to five-year-old Sumatran tigress Melati whose last cub - the first tiger to be born at London Zoo in 17 years - was found drowned aged four weeks.

Nic Masters, head vet at London Zoo, said they were in "rude health".

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Two Bengal tiger cubs rescued from a dry water tank

Orphan cubs had been stealing chickens form villagers

December 2012. Two orphaned Royal Bengal tiger cubs have been ‘rescued' from a dry water tank near the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh.

The cubs were wandering the area without their mother for more than a month, occasionally lifting poultry from local households for survival. Local residents reported the cubs to local wildlife authorities in November. A team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) - Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) led by Ipra Mekola, Arunachal Pradesh State Wildlife Advisory Member reached the site on December 6, to assist the Forest Department in tracking the cubs.

Originally 4 cubs!
"There were four cubs according to the information from the local people. They had been lifting mainly poultry, and had made unsuccessful attempts at larger livestock. One of the cubs was reportedly injured," said Mekola.

On December 11, the team discovered that three of the cubs had been trapped in a dry water tank, reported IFAW-WTI biologist Soumya Das Gupta. The villagers had covered the tank with wooden planks and branches to prevent the cubs from escaping till the rescue team arrived.

Two healthy cubs
Two of the cubs were healthy and were successfully sedated and removed from the tank by WTI veterinarians Dr Jahan Ahmed and Dr Nupur Ranjan Buragohain. The third was severely ill when first sighted, and succumbed the following morning.

The rescued cubs were a male and a female; the deceased cub was also a female. Post-mortem revealed pneumonia, starvation and hypoglycaemic shock as the cause of death. The status of the fourth cub is unknown. The two rescued cubs will be kept under observation till they are stabilised.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/orphan-tigers.html

Tiger cubs rescued in Thai smuggling plot

Police in Thailand discovered 16 tiger cubs in the back of a pick-up truck, after the driver tried to avoid a highway checkpoint.

The driver told police he was paid 15,000 baht (£300) to deliver the cubs from a Bangkok suburb to northeastern Udon Thani province on the border with Laos.

Thailand is a hub of the international black market for protected animals and wildlife parts, often used for traditional East Asian medicines.

The driver could face a four-year jail term and 40,000 baht (£800) fine on wildlife smuggling-related charges.

The cubs were taken away to be cared for by wildlife officials.

Video:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20110732