Category: Uncategorized

Supreme Court in Russia’s Altai overrules acquittal of VIP poachers

GORNO-ALTAISK, August 11 (RIA Novosti)

he Altai Republic’s Supreme Court has overruled the acquittal of poachers, two of them high-ranking officials, convicted of hunting endangered mountain sheep, and ordered a retrial with a new panel of judges.

A helicopter carrying government officials crashed near Chernaya Mountain in Altai in January 2009, killing seven people, including the Russian president’s envoy to the State Duma, Alexander Kosopkin, and an environmental off icial.

The officials were allegedly on an illegal hunting expedition when the helicopter crashed. Three of the four people who survived the crash – the republic’s deputy prime minister Anatoly Bannykh, deputy chief of a Moscow university, Nikolai Kapranov, and State Duma official and businessman Boris Belinsky – were brought to trial.

The investigation into the case was closed twice over the lack of evidence of the suspects’ involvement in poaching. The court eventually acquitted them, frustrating environmentalists and animals rights activists.

The Argali sheep is included on Russia’s list of protected species as well as on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) list. Hunting wild rams has been forbidden in Russia since 1930.

The case sparked public outcry after images of the helicopter’s wreckage, in which dead wild rams were clearly seen, a ppeared on the internet soon after the crash.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110811/165705261.html

New book about snow leopard is published in English by Kazakhstan’s Snow Leopard Fund

The new book about snow leopard
is published in English

“IRBIS – The Snow Leopard”

The edition is carried out at the initiative of the Kazakhstan’s “Snow Leopard Fund” (Ust Kamenogorsk) at the financial support of UNDP/GEF – Kazakhstan within the limits of the project “Conservation and suistanable use of biodiversity in the Kazakhstan’s part of Altai-Sayan ecoregion”.

In 2009 biologists Oleg and Irina Loginov had a book about a snow leopard “The Snow Leopard. A symbol of Celestial Mountains” (on Russian) which already became a curiosity. And recently there was also a new colourful picture album about a snow leopard, only already in English. The picture album can be interesting to foreign tourists. It also a fine gift for those who goes on a visit abroad.
“The Silver Wonder”, “Spirit of Mountains” – so faithfully and admiration are spoken by people about a snow leopard. At many people irbis is sacred animal. Meanwhile, number of a kind steadily decreases because of poaching on great parts of its areal. In the middle of XX century in the Central Asia the tiger and the Asian cheetah have been completely exterminated. The similar fate expected and irbis if measures on preservation of this most beautiful silvery cat of high mountains have not been taken. In 1948 the International Union of Nature Conservation – IUCN, become by the initiator of the edition of the Red Book has been created. The snow leopard was is taken under special protection not only the IUCN Red List and regional Red Books, but also Washington Convention – CITES, and also laws on protection of fauna and criminal codes which exist in all countries where irbis lives.
Despite strengthening of measures of protection and special attention of the international organisations to a snow leopard last years, its number continues to decrease. The failure in the field of education of the various strata of society is especially great. In public consciousness the snow leopard image – “The Master of Celestial Mountains”, and a predator never attacking people, can be very attractive. But the potential of this appeal while is used very poorly. And kind protection is still insufficient – more than 90 % of habitats of a snow leopard are not covered by especially protected natural territories. But all places of snow leopard habitats in mountains, as a rule, have no intensive economic activities, therefore can quite become extensive natural parks or game reserves. Examples to that are – the Himalayan kingdom Bhutan, the country which quarter is made by national parks. There too there live snow leopards. On any animals in the country hunting is forbidden also they involve tourists who bring in the income to the country much bigger, than the industry. In Nepal and India also it is much given to irbis protection and the considerable quantity extensive NPT is created. It is necessary to follow these countries an example.

The snow leopard can help the Central Asian countries to become even more attractive to tourists, climbers and researchers of all world.

It will be promoted also by Loginov’s book-picture album about a snow leopard. From it is possible to learn all about this cat who as though unites the largest Asian states of the world: Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and some more other highlands of the Central Asia, living in high mountains along borders of these states. On its pages there are data about number of a rare animal, the area of its habitats in the world, a protection condition in the most important national parks and reserves both national parks and other most interesting details of biology and behaviour. The book is written emotionally, is entertaining and accessible to the widest audience. It can be used and as the additional manual for schoolboys and the students, and for the foreign tourists, wishing to learn more about a live symbol of “Celestial Mountains”, and in general for people all not indifferent and loving the nature. At a book writing, the big work with the literature is spent, the big material and knowledge which have laid down in its basis is saved up. The unique photos of a wild snow leopard made in the nature in Almaty area in Dzungarian Ala-Tau (Kazakhstan) by Renat Minibaev and beautiful snow leopard portraits of Raphael Kettsian from Ekaterinburg (Russia), and also water colour drawings by Victor Bakhtin, Victor Pavlushin and Oleg Loginov’s pictures have decorated a picture album and have made its unique. Irina Loginova fairy tale ”Spirits of Sacred Mountain” also is included in the edition, illustrated with drawings of the author.

Data about a picture album:
The format – 21,5 х 28 sm
Cover – the firm, laminated matte
Pages – 136,
Illustrations – 205
Circulation trial – 250 copies.

Coordinates of authors: Kazakhstan,
Phones: 8-72331-39347, +7-705-4616016,
e-mail: irbisslc@yandex.ru

From: Логинов Олег [mailto:irbisslc@yandex.kz]
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2011 11:21 AM
To: sln-members@lists.snowleopardnetwork.org
Subject: Re: SLN – SLN News: New book about snow leopard is published in English (Kazakhstan’s Snow Leopard Fund)

Hello Rana,

Thanks for dispatch of the information on a picture album and placing in a blog. We already receive letters. Except a picture album, in Novosibirsk (Russia) is published Irina Loginovoj’s fairy tale for children in Russian with drawings of known artist Victor Pavlushina. There is a transfer and into English as a part of a picture album. There is an idea to publish separately same fairy tale in English and we search for means for this purpose.

Sincerely, Oleg

Snow Leopard Foundation Pakistan: ‘Solid Waste Management Campaign During Shandur Festival’

‘Solid Waste Management Campaign During Shandur Festival’
Posted by Staff Reporter on Mon, 2011-07-11 19:08 | filed underGilgit-Baltistan

World Wide Fund for Nature Pakistan, Saving Wetlands Sky High Programme, Pakistan Wetlands Programme-Northern Alpine Wetlands Complex and Snow Leopard foundation Pakistan jointly organized a mass awareness campaign about Solid Waste Management during Shandur Polo Festival on July (7th- 9th ), 2010.

The purpose of the solid waste cleanup campaign was to create awareness among the visitors about solid waste and its impact on the aesthetics, lake and associated ecosystems. The participating organizations aimed at aggrandising public participation in solid waste management.

http://www.dardistantimes.com/content/solid-waste-management12-campaign-during-shandur-festival33
About 80 dedicated volunteers from Shandur Local Support Organization (SLSO), Teru, Shandur Area Development Organization (SADO), Luspur and Youth Advocacy Forum (YAF), Chitral participated in waste collection and assessment (composition, sources, per capita generation rate and total solid waste generation during the festival).

Informational banners were installed at major entry points and key locations to guide the visitors through managing solid waste and to remain sensitive about the ecosystems. The organizers also held random group meetings with visitors and the polo organizers seeking support in the environmental initiatives taken in this remote part of the world. The volunteers of the participating organizations diligently picked, sorted, transported about 3.3 tones solid waste and disposed off in a designated landfill site.

The initiative of WWF-P and its partner organizations was highly supported and appreciated by the polo-goers in the Shandur Festival.

Shandur Polo Festival is held, every year during the first week of july, in Shandur— a worldy renowned natural sporting arena situated midway between Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan. Thousands of local and international tourists visit the festival every year.

The story has been contributed from the office of Northern Alpine Wetlands Complex (NAWC), WWF, Pakistan, Jutial Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. (Tel:0092 5811 455658)
.

Darjeeling to get new off display breeding center endangered Himalayan animals

Amitava Banerjee, Hindustan Times
Darjeeling, June 23, 2011

First Published: 20:11 IST(23/6/2011)
Last Updated: 20:13 IST(23/6/2011)

The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) Darjeeling, is all set to start an off display breeding centre for rare and endangered Himalayan species, specially snow leopards and red pandas at Tobgay Danra on the way to Peshok around 20 km from Darjeeling town. The forest department has allott ed 5 hectares of forest land for this.

The PNHZP was founded in 1958 and specializes in the captive breeding of endangered Himalayan species including Snow Leopard, Red Panda, Tibetan Wolf; Blue Sheep, Himalayan Tahr and Satyr tragopan (crimson horned pheasant.) At present all these animals are being bred in enclosures at the PNHZP premises in Darjeeling.

The PNHZP is the coordinating zoo for the red panda breeding programme (Project Red Panda) in India. Under this programme red pandas are bred in captivity at PNHZP, Gangtok zoo in Sikkim and Itanagar zoo. The first breeding success under the Project Red Panda came in 1994.

Since then there have been around 40 Zoo bred Pandas at the PNHZP, many of the animals sent to other high altitude zoos. At present the Red Panda population stands at 9 males, 5 females including a male cub and a female cub.

PNHZP is the pioneer zoo to have initiated the captive breeding programme of snow leopards. In 1986 this programme had been started with 4 snow leopards. At present there are 4 males, 3 females. “There have been 52 births in captivity. Most of the animals have been given out to other high altitude zoos” stated AK Jha, director, PNHZP.

“Our main aim is to release the zoo bred animals in the wild. We had got immense success on 14th November 2003 when 2 zoo bred radio collared red pandas were released in the wild in the forests of Garibans. However this has not been tried out for the snow leopards” remarked Jha.

“We will be sending a proposal to the Central Zoo Authority for the off display breeding centre at Topgey Danra which is located in the Sinchal Wildlife Sanctuary. The survey is already complete. The state government will be providing the necessary funds for building the infrastructure” stated Jha.

With this off display breeding centre the animals will not be disturbed as visitors will not be allowed. They will have ample space also. Each enclosure will be of an area of half hectare each. Initially a pair of red pandas and a pair of snow leopards will be kept.

“We will try to hone the hunting skills of the zoo bred snow leopards. Once the animals are equipped for the wild we can try to reintroduce the zoo bred snow leopards in the wild” stated the Director.

Recently Hiten Burman, forest minister, government of West Bengal had visited the PNHZP along with Bratya Basu, higher education minister. “We will further upgrade the infrastructure of the Zoo” stated Hiten Burman.

While Burman christened the Red Panda cubs Ram and Janaki and a blue sheep cub “Nilu,” Basu named a blue sheep cub “Bonny”.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Darjeeling-to-get-new-off-display-breeding-center-endangered-Himalayan-animals/Article1-712883.aspx

Kyrgyzstan to invite Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin to International conference on snow leopard rescue

Kyrgyzstan to invite Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin
23/05-2011 10:47, Bishkek – 24.kg news agency , by Julia MAZYKINA

Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin will be invited to Kyrgyzstan to International conference on snow leopard rescue, reported DEUTSCHE WELLE news agency.

Members of German non-profit nature conservation organization NABU will also participate in the conference.

According to experts, nowadays, there are about 350 snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz authorities and NABU made an agreement on protection of rare animals. The program is developed for the period of 10 years. According to the leader of the NABU project in Central Asia Boris Tikhomirov, following the results of the conference, ecologists hope to implement a number of projects in nature conservancy.

Recall, the native land of the snow leopards is mountains of Central Asia (from Himalayas to Altai and Tien-Shan to Hindu Kush, and Eastern Tibet. Now, snow leopards are on the verge of extinction in all over the world. It is listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

URL: http://eng.24.kg/community/2011/05/23/18225.html

Unique snow leopard captured on video during an international expedition in the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion

This is a release put out by Altaisky Zapovednik. Here’s a link to the video on YouTube if you can’t make the link below work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuYARiqW-5g&feature=player_embedded.

*****

http://www.altzapovednik.ru/news/2011/05/expedicia-irbis.aspx

Unique snow leopard captured on video during an international expedition
24 May 11

A joint Mongolian-Russian expedition to study transboundary populations of snow leopard in the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion recently finished its work. The expedition took place May 5-18, 2011 with support from WWF-Russia and WWF-Mongolia. Participants in the int’l expedition surveyed transboundary snow leopard habitat – the Mongolian side of Tsagan-Shibetu Ridge (in Tsagaan-Shuvuut Zapovednik) and Chikhachev Ridge (park of Silkkhemin Nuruu National Park), adjacent to the Russian border. Staff from Altaisky Zapovednik, the Mongolian Academy of Science’s Institute of Biology, WWF-Mongolia, Irbis Video Studio (Altai Republic), the Irves Anti-poaching Brigade (Mongolia), and the Administrations of the Uvs-Nuur and Mongolian Altai protected areas participated in the international expedition.

Several of the areas surveyed by the scientists indicated a high density of evidence of snow leopard spoor and markings. A group of snow leopards live in this transboundary area, and their study is extremely important for protecting these rare predators in Russia and Mongolia. The predator’s scrapes, scent markings, paw prints, and prey remains were found in as many as thirty sites per kilometer of the route. This number is comparable to the best snow leopard habitat in India and Nepal. The experts also gathered 50+ scat samples for future DNA analysis to determine the gender and number of animals in this group.

During the expedition and almost atop the Russian international border, the group was able to collect unique video images of snow leopards. The scientists installed camera traps on Chikhachev Ridge in a place where snow leopards were active and after just a few days – success! A snow leopard jumped from a large rock immediately in front of the camera, and unhurriedly walked way along a narrow canyon. Link to the video here, on Altaisky Zapovednik’s website: http://www.altzapovednik.ru/video/2011/irbis.aspx.

The data gathered as a result of this study show that snow leopards live permanently in this area, and that the population is stable. WWF experts estimate the snow leopard population along Chikhachev Ridge to be about 10-12 animals, with an additional 20 animals on the Tsagaan-Shibetu Ridge (both the Russian and Mongolian sides).

Despite their seemingly small number, snow leopards living along the Russian-Mongolian border are a connecting link between the few remaining Russian groups and the population nucleus in western Mongolia.

In Mongolia, snow leopards are protected within Tsagaan-Shuvuut Zapovednik and Silkkhemin Nuruu National Park. On the Russian side, Chikhachev and Tsagan-Shibetu Ridges unfortunately fall outside of any officially protected area.

Today, WWF experts are assessing the possibility of creating an additional cluster in Sailyugem National Park, along the southern side of Chikhachev Ridge in Altai Republic, as well as a cluster for Ubsunurskaya Basin Zapovednik in the southern part of Tsagan-Shibetu Ridge (Tuva Republic).

Follwoing their analysis, the materials gathered on the expedition will permit a more precise estimate of the population of snow leopards living in the study area (Shapshal – Tsagan-Shibetu – Tsagan-Shuvuut and the southern Chikhachev Ridge) as well as to identify genetic links with other snow leopards in Russia.

Materials from WWF-Altai-Sayan and Sergei Spitsyn (Altaisky Zapovednik) were used to prepare this press release.

*****

Translation by Jennifer Castner

International Collaboration Brings New Hope to Endangered Snow Leopards: The BBC Wildlife Fund is partnering with Whitley Fund for Nature and Nature Conservation Foundation to launch new conservation program across Asia

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

London, England and Bangalore, India (PRWEB) May 26, 2011

The BBC Wildlife Fund (BBCWF) and two leading conservation organizations, Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) and Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), are teaming up to launch a new program aimed at securing a healthy population of snow leopards across Asia. The BBC Wildlife Fund is providing nearly £60,000 ($90,000 US) over the next two years for conservation in regions critical to the survival of the snow leopard.

Snow leopards are one of the most endangered big cats in the world. They are found across 12 Asian and Eurasian nations from Afghanistan to Bhutan, and experts believe that as few as 3,500 may still exist in the wild. WFN and NCF will focus on China, Mongolia and India—the three countries with the highest concentrations of the species.

Their joint project will focus on empowering local communities in each country to adopt a series of conservation measures, including environmental education, community‐based wildlife monitoring, anti‐poaching programmes, and cross‐collaboration between regional and national government offices. The project will be implemented together with leading national conservationists based at NCF, Shan Shui and Peking University in China, and the Snow Leopard Conservation Fund in Mongolia. The Snow Leopard Trust (SLT), recognized as the global leader in snow leopard conservation, will also participate in the project.

“This is the first large, multi‐country project of its kind for snow leopards,” says Dr. Charudutt Mishra, Trustee of NCF and Science and Conservation Director of the SLT, “and it’s a huge leap forward for the species.” Snow leopards are still relatively new to the conservation scene. The first photograph of a wild snow leopard wasn’t captured until the 1970s, and targeted efforts to protect the cats didn’t begin until the 1980s. Snow leopard conservation has lagged behind big campaigns like those set up for tigers, but Dr. Mishra hopes this project will change all that and says “with WFN, BBC and our other partners, we can finally produce the kind of in‐depth, multifaceted conservation systems necessary to save these cats.”

Georgina Domberger, Director of WFN, believes the project has global impact, one of the factors that gained WFN’s support: “It’s great to say you’re going to protect an endangered species—but what does that mean? We can’t save all of them at once, but we are coming up with a way to protect some of the most important population centres we can, and then we hope to build outwards from there.” WFN is also excited because they, like NCF, view snow leopards as a flagship species able to streamline and lead larger efforts in critical habitats. Domberger says “we all love snow leopards for their beauty and charisma, and since they are at the top of the wildlife pyramid, we know helping them will help the entire ecosystem.”

About NCF, WFN and BBCWF
NCF: Nature Conservation Foundation is one of India’s leading conservation organizations. Working across the country to preserve India’s wildlife, NCF has received the 2006 Distinguished Service Award from the Society for Conservation Biology, a worldwide professional body devoted to advancing science and conservation of the earth’s biodiversity. NCF has become an important advisor to the Government and, in addition to coordinating Project Snow Leopard, a national program for snow leopard conservation across the Indian Himalayas, is represented in the Tiger Task Force, the Elephant Task Force, and the National Wildlife Advisory Board.

WFN: WFN is a UK registered charity working to locate and recognise some of the world’s most dynamic conservation leaders and support projects founded on proven science, community involvement and pragmatism. WFN champions passionate individuals who are committed to creating long‐lasting change and successful conservation results on the ground. Towards this aim and through a rigorous assessment process, WFN identifies effective local conservation leaders with the potential to have a global impact and celebrates them through Whitley Awards, one of the world’s most prestigious conservation prizes. To date, WFN has recognised the work of over 120 conservation leaders in 70 countries. Highlights from 2010’s grant report included the establishment of Peru’s first system of community‐led Marine Protected Areas, creation of a 500,000ha grassland biosphere reserve in Chihuahua, Mexico, and the news that 2007 Whitley Award winner Sandra Bessudo is to become Colombian Minister of Environment.

BBC Wildlife Fund: The Fund was founded by the BBC’s Natural History Unit (NHU) in May 2007. Following years of producing outstanding films about wildlife throughout the world and at the same time witnessing alarming declines in the populations of many of the animals filmed, the NHU wanted to address the plight of wildlife. The BBCWF was formed and its first live appeal programme, Saving Planet Earth, raised £1 million on the night. This was added to by donations throughout the year, raising a total of just under £2 million.

The BBC Wildlife Fund supports conservation action throughout the world. The BBC Wildlife Fund disburses donations through an open application grant process to programmes which have a track record of saving species. Grants are made to UK‐registered charities, broadly allocating 20 per cent of donations to projects conserving wildlife in the UK and 80 per cent of donations to projects outside the UK.

The BBC Wildlife Fund is a grant‐making charity, registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, number 1119286, and is constituted as a company limited by guarantee, registered number 6238115.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/5/prweb8481483.htm