WWF - Camera trap news

Photos offer rare glimpse into panda habitat

2013-05-22

Beijing – WWF today released dozens of photographs and video footage of endangered species captured by camera traps in the mountainous giant panda reserves in China, marking this year's International Day for Biological Diversity.

The images and footage, rarely seen before, showcase an array of endangered species in their remote habitats in southwestern Sichuan Province, including giant panda, red panda, Tibetan stump-tailed macaque and leopard cat.

"The multimedia materials are obtained under circumstances, where there was little external disturbance and therefore they truly reflect the conditions of those species in the wild," said Jiang Zeyin, species programme officer at WWF-China.

The materials were filmed since 2011 by more than 100 infra-red camera traps set up in six nature reserves by WWF and its partners from the local forestry authority as part of the monitoring effort under the giant panda conservation programme.

With the footage, WWF conservation officers have gained a better understanding of the identification of animal traces and areas of their activities, the study of the impact of human activities on the species and management of nature reserves, according to Jiang.

"The images demonstrate that through the conservation of the giant panda, a flagship umbrella species, we can also protect other threatened wildlife from the same habitat and preserve biological diversity," said Fan Zhiyong, director of WWF species programme in China. It is a tried method in WWF's biodiversity conservation and the reason why WWF would underscore the value of protecting flagship species, he said.

China has more than 6,500 species of vertebrates representing 14 percent of the global total, making it one of the 12 globally recognized "mega-biodiversity" countries.

However, the population of more than 10 flagship and keystone species in China, which include Amur tigers, musk deer and the Yangtze finless porpoise, have undergone a marked decline that was particularly severe between the 1960s and 1980s.

"The overall biodiversity in China is in decline despite partial improvement in some places. The main threat has been the habitat loss and fragmentation due to invasive human activities," said Fan.

"Conservation of flagship species would not only benefit the ecological system, but also human development. Large-scale planning and implementation aimed at establishing a network of habitats should always be considered," said Fan.

Near threatened Pallas' Cat found in WCP

2012-10-16

Camera traps have captured the first-ever live pictorial evidence of Pallas' Cat in the northern-central part of the Wangchuck Centennial Park (WCP) in Bumthang.

The Cat was found in a place called Boera on January 17, 2012 and then again on April 1, 2012. Two more pictures were captured from Marganphu area on February 19 and April 18, 2012.

The cameras were placed from late November 2011 to early June 2012 as a part of the Department of Forests and Park Services' and WWF's survey of Snow Leopard abundance in the park.

According to WWF-US Conservation Scientist Rinjan Shrestha, who has been closely working with WCP on the Snow Leopard survey, this could probably be the first report on the occurrence of Pallas' Cat in the Eastern Himalayas.

In 2004, Tashi Wangchuk, the then head of the Bhutan Museum of Natural History, Ministry of Agriculture, briefly mentioned Pallas Cat in the book Mammals of Bhutan. The book indicated possibilities of the Cat being found in Bhutan between altitudinal ranges of 2,800m to 4,000m in Jigmi Dorji National Park. However, its presence in Bhutan has not been document until now.

The habitats of the Cat, at both sites, are characterized by rolling hills dominated by glacial out-wash and Alpine Steppe vegetation. The Pallas' Cats were spotted on same locations where other predators such as Snow Leopard, Tibetan wolf and Red fox were found.

Both sites are used as seasonal grazing grounds for yaks from late-spring to mid-autumn (April to November). Of late, the area is visited by cordyceps collectors, especially in April, May and June.

Pallas' Cats possess behavioural traits that help it survive even in the cold deserts of Central Asia. They are also regarded as a primitive cat that has not changed for 12 million years of feline history of evolution.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has enlisted Red Pallas' Cat as "Near Threatened" because globally, the population of Pallas' Cats has been declining and they are disappearing from most of their former ranges around the Caspian Sea and Pakistan's Baluchistan province. The Cat's survival is threatened by hunters for its fur and fat and organs for medicinal value.

WWF supporters visit the frontline with interactive Africam.com snapshot experience

2012-10-02

Poaching and illegal wildlife trade are an extremely dangerous threats to rhinos, elephants and tigers and to combat this crisis WWF has launched a global campaign to bring awareness to the issue. During the month of October, WWF will be partnering with Africam to spread the #killthetrade message through an interactive online wildlife photo sharing experience on the Africam.com website.

WWF's campaign is mobilizing millions of voices against wildlife crime and Africam is allowing the online community to be virtually transported to those front lines by means of their LIVE safari channels.

Once there, a viewer can take a snapshot of an elephant or other animals that they see on the LIVE cameras, and then share those photos via social networks or email. Each image is stamped with the WWF #killthetrade Twitter hashtag and links to more information about the dangers facing these creatures. Users can also sign up for wildlife alerts, which will send them a message on Facebook or Twitter as soon as animals appear on one of the LIVE channels.

The goal of the project is to allow almost anyone to participate in bringing awareness to the cause. All you need is an internet connection to make the trip to the African bush. Once there you'll have the means to capture your own wildlife photograph and share it with the rest of the world. With only a few clicks you will have joined the million voices against illegal wildlife trade and truly taken action to make a difference.

WWF contact: Alona Rivord, arivord@wwfint.org, +41 79 959 1963

Africam.com contact: Paul Penzhorn paulp@africam.com +27 825598478

Photos of rare Amur tiger give hope to NE China's tiger recovery efforts

2012-06-18

Changchun, Northeast China – Photos of a rare Amur tiger, caught on film for the first time in Wangqing Nature Reserve in northeast China's Changbai mountains, are giving hope to tiger recovery efforts in the region.

A camera trap set up in the reserve captured two photos of the tiger in April. These photos provide evidence of the extension of the Amur tiger's range from Hunchun, located close to the Russian border, into the inner Changbai mountain area, part of the Amur-Heilong Tiger Landscape that straddles China and Russia.

Amur tigers migrating to the inner Changbaishan area must pass through Wangqing, located next to the Hunchun Nature Reserve. As recommended by WWF-China, the Jilin Forestry Department has accorded Hunchun-Wangqing the highest priority protection area in The Project Plan of the Recovery of Amur Tiger and Tiger Habitat in Changbaishan Area in Jilin.

Although footprints of the Amur tiger have been discovered many times in Wangqing since 2008, this is the first time that a camera trap set up in the reserve has captured photos of the rare species. Experts will try to identify the individual tiger photographed by comparing it with photos of Amur tigers taken previously in Hunchun.

"The photos give hope on the real possibility that tigers could return to their previous habitat if steps are taken to manage it,"said Dr. Zhu Jiang, Head of WWF-China's Northeast Programme Office . "In recent years, we have had camera traps taking photos of Amur tiger and also Amur leopard in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. It shows that the camera trap is a very effective tool in monitoring rare wildlife species. We have to expand its use so as to build an effective monitoring platform."

At present, the Jilin and Heilongjiang forestry departments, International Feline Research Centre of China's State Forestry Administration and WWF are working together to set up automatic infrared cameras to build the monitoring platform to cover core potential Amur tiger habitats in the Changbai and Wanda mountains in Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces respectively.

"Data collected through this technology will help greatly in monitoring the Amur tiger population and its distribution," said Mr. Jiang Jinsong, Jilin Forestry Department's Tiger and Leopard Programme Officer. "It would also help us determine whether there are settled individuals or breeding families, and therefore support conservation measures."

Amur tigers were once widespread in northeast China. Habitat degradation and fragmentation, poaching and a small prey base have led the wild population to decline. Estimates put the current wild Amur tiger population in Northeast China, mostly confined to the Changbai Mountains in Jilin Province and Wanda mountains in Heilongjian Province, at between 18-24 individuals. The adjacent forested habitat of the Russian Far East holds more, between 430-500 tigers.

WWF-China and its partners are carrying out a number of conservation measures to save the Amur tiger. These include helping ungulate populations such as wild boar and roe deer – the tiger's main prey – to recover; stopping poaching by helping local authorities carry out anti-poaching activities; and increasing and connecting protected tiger habitats so tigers can safely move from one area to another.

Population of world's most endangered leopard grows in China

2012-04-27

Changchun, China - Northeast China's Jilin Province Department of Forestry says the endangered Amur leopard population has almost doubled in the province, and now numbers between 8 and 11 individuals according to findings from a new survey.

The results from the first-ever study to exclusively examine Amur leopards shows that traces of the rare big cats are now being found over a much larger area in and outside of northeast China's Hunchun and Wangqing Nature Reserves, covering about 4100km², an area similar in size to French Polynesia.

"The Amur leopard is critically endangered, and this research into population monitoring, habitat restoration and population migration characteristics is urgent for the survival of the species," said the head of WWF-China's Northeast Programme Office, Dr Zhu Jiang.

The Amur leopard is incredibly rare in the wild, and the species is the most endangered feline in the world, surpassing even the Amur tiger in rarity. Less than 50 now live in north eastern China and the Russian Far East.

Survey brings clarity

Compared to data from a 1998-1999 survey on tigers - which also picked up traces of Amur leopards - the new study found evidence that the leopard's distribution area in China expanded further to the northwest of Jilin province and towards the Sino-Russian border in the east. This represents an area 3-4 times bigger than previous findings, and a leopard population that's 1.8 times larger.  

"The results of this new survey show even more clearly that the Hunchun-Wangqing habitat is an important one for the Amur leopard, and that the nearby Changbai Mountain leopard population is essential to support the continued survival of the Russian Far East population group. The two areas are indispensible to the recovery of the global Amur leopard population, and are the greatest hope for expanding both the population and the habitat of the species," said Dr. Zhu Jiang.

First known survey on China's wild Amur leopard population

This is the first time China has conducted a survey that exclusively focuses on Amur leopard population numbers, habitat location and habitat size in Jilin Province. The next stage, says Jilin Forestry Department's Senior Engineer and Tiger-Leopard Programme Officer Jiang Jinsong, will cover a larger area, using infrared camera traps and DNA monitoring technology.

"Based on the results of this survey, the first trial areas will be the Hunchun and Wangqing reserves, where constant collection of information on individuals as well as monitoring of activity patterns among the general population will serve to build up a core of information on the settled Amur leopard and Siberian tiger populations," said Jiang Jinsong.

WWF's role

WWF will continue to work with the Jilin Forestry Department, Hunchun Nature Reserve and Wangqing Forestry Bureau to continue monitoring population trends, assess habitat quality and the restoration of prey species. WWF will also maintain its contributions to the development of monitoring technology and anti-poaching management to help restore the Amur leopard population in China.

For more information contact:

Zeng Ming (曾铭), Head of Press, WWF China, +86 10 6511 6298, mzeng@wwfchina.org

Javan rhinos now safer under closer scrutiny

2012-04-20

Jakarta – The only remaining population of Javan rhinos will be better safeguarded following the quadrupling of video camera traps to monitor the critically endangered animals in Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia.

WWF and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) recently donated 120 cameras to the park, bringing the total number of camera traps to 160.

The need to have additional video cameras for rhino observation was first recognized during an IUCN Asian Rhino Specialist Group meeting at Cisarua, West Java in March when the head of Ujung Kulon National Park presented the positive results of Javan rhino identification in 2011, when the park officially began using video camera traps. That year 35 individuals comprising of 22 males and 13 females were identified.

Experts believe there are fewer than 50 Javan rhinos remaining.

"The Javan rhino population in Ujung Kulon has been the last fortress of the Javan rhino population in the world ever since the extinction of Javan rhino in Vietnam in 2011," said IRF Director Susie Ellis. "Additional video traps are believed to provide an important step for ensuring the survival of existing Javan rhinos."

Coordinator of WWF-Indonesia's Rhino Conservation Program, Adhi Hariyadi said: "By integrating video information gathered from camera trap with DNA based monitoring, we can get a better description of the Javan rhino population, and an even deeper understanding of rhino behaviors."

"With the total of 160 video camera traps placed simultanously around the park, we can collect various information, not only on javan rhino but also other wildlife," said Moh. Haryono, Head of Ujung Kulon National Park Office.

"The video can even monitor human activities inside Javan rhino habitat in Ujung Kulon. This information serves as an important basis to increase Javan rhino population in Ujung Kulon, which is in line with Indonesia's rhino conservation strategy and action plan."

The Ministry of Forestry has set up nationwide targets to increase the populations of 14 endangered species by three percent by 2014.

The success of this target will be measured by the primary work indicator, a guideline developed by the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation of the Ministry of Forestry. Currently a roadmap is being developed to provide a systematic guideline for all stakeholders to participate.

Biodiversity Conservation Director at the Ministry of Forestry, Novianto Bambang Wawandono said: "One of the primary activities developed by the Ministry of Forestry to achieve this target is to monitor populations of specific species such as Javan rhino in its in situ habitat. These 120 additional units of video cameras will help efforts to increase Javan rhino population by three percent."

Since the 1990s, WWF has been working with Ujung Kulon National Park to observe the Javan rhino population using camera traps.

At that time the park was the first ever in Indonesia to identify wildlife using still photo camera traps. In 2008 video camera traps replaced the photo camera traps.

Walk-Shop for Tigers in Bhutan – getting down to business

2012-04-17

17^th April 2012, Thimphu– Just within a span of a century, Tiger numbers have plummeted from 100,000 to a mere 3,500; and this number continues to drop. In the last decade alone, Tiger numbers and habitat have declined by 40 percent, lost largely to habitat loss, poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and human-Tiger conflict (as per GTRP, 2010).A need for a unified global initiative was felt essential to save & recover the dwindling population of Tigers in its last remaining ranges. As an immediate action plan, the leaders from 13 Tiger range countries (TRCs) came together in November, 2010 at an international 'Tiger Summit' forum held in St Petersburg, Russia. At this forum, the 13 TRCs and partners endorsed and adopted 'The Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP)' compiled from individual country's National Tiger Recovery Priorities.

Since the summit, Bhutan has been reworking on several areas to strengthen the protection of the Tiger and its habitats across the country. These include introduction of Protected Area and Wildlife Bill, initiation of dialogue for effective Indo-Bhutan transboundary cooperation in wildlife protection, national level monitoring of Tiger population & its prey density, and numerous human-tiger conflict initiatives.

The 5 km Tiger Walk-Shop is organised in collaboration with Information & Communication Services and Jigme Dorji National Park (JDNP), Ministry of Agriculture & Forests. Baffling the world of science, it was first in JDNP that pictorial evidences confirmed the presence of Tigers as high as 4,670 masl overlapping with the Snow Leopard habitat.

The aim of the walk is to bring together leaders, prominent local officials, NGOs, media and Tiger supporters closer to Tiger habitat. This is also a show of support to all the implementers who work tirelessly for conservation despite harsh conditions and difficult terrains. The walk will also aim to reiterate Bhutan's commitment made during the 'Tiger Summit' and encourage other range countries to follow suit before the 2^nd ministerial level conference on 'Conservation on Tiger'.

Lyonpo (Dr) Pema Gyamtsho, Minister, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests said "In order to have a successful conservation program we have to solicit the participation and support of all cross sections of our society. That is why this 'Walk-Shop' was conceived so that different stakeholders can experience the sights and sounds of nature while discussing the challenges and opportunities for a successful program. JDNP is a recognized Tiger habitat and offers the ideal ambience for constructive debate on the issues concerning Tiger conservation in Bhutan".

WWF's Conservation Director, Mr. Vijay Moktan said "Tiger Walk-shop is a small reminder to all of us who are concerned and want to save this iconic animal from extinction. In many ways, since we humans have created the problem, it becomes our responsibility to find a solution".

For further information contact: Vijay Moktan, vmoktan@wwfbhutan.org.bt

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY FEATURE

2012-03-07

Sabita's Journey with WWF-Nepal

Sabita Malla, 27 years of age, is WWF-Nepal's Senior Research Officer. With a Master's Degree in Wildlife Sciences from Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, Sabita has made significant strides as a young female conservationist. Her professional career started with WWF-Nepal in 2010 as Research Officer for the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) Program; she was promoted to Senior Research Officer in less than two years.

Sabita has been a part of some of the most challenging and successful wildlife monitoring and research operations at WWF-Nepal. Some of these included the ID-based rhino monitoring program and gharial population survey in TAL, Nepal's first satellite telemetry to monitor tigers in Bardia National Park, and the implementation of Management Information System Technology (MIST) in Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, Chitwan National Park and Bardia National Park to aid patrolling and species monitoring activities.

As we celebrate the indomitable spirit of women in the backdrop of International Women's Day, WWF-Nepal brings to you Sabita's story through excerpts of an interview conducted with her at Bardia National Park in Nepal's Terai Arc Landscape. Sabita is currently leading a team of 33 people in the national park in setting up about 120 camera traps to help monitor tiger populations in the area, and also conducting prey-base population monitoring.

A Conversation with Sabita

What motivated you to work for tigers and wildlife conservation?
Growing up in a small village in western Nepal, the outdoors was my playroom. I would go looking for butterflies and birds in the forest, wading through streams, climbing up and down the hills while naming every tree I crossed along the way.

It gave me a deep love for nature that motivated me to study about species ecology, habitats and conservation at India's prestigious Wildlife Institute of India.

But it was only during my field research in 2009 that the wildlife conservation crisis in Nepal became real to me. I can still hear the echo of gunshots as poachers killed wildlife inside Bardia. It made me realize that I had to be part of the efforts to save my country's iconic species.

And here I am today, right back in the same protected area, working with the government and local communities to assess the important progress we've made in the past few years.

How does it feel to be leading an all-male team for this tiger monitoring project?
People tell me that being the only woman during field operations is probably a big challenge. I don't think so. And I do not think that I should be treated differently from my male colleagues. The most important thing is to be very adaptive and able to work with others. You need to create a bond of trust and respect with each and every team member. When I am in the field, I am the same as my other team members. We are connected by one cause—to help understand and protect wildlife.

How does a camera trap work?
Camera traps are a stealthy way to monitor tigers in the wild. Through images of individual tigers retrieved from the camera traps, we develop a history for each tiger over time and this helps us estimate the population of tigers within the survey area. The tiger studies are complemented by a simultaneous monitoring of prey species and habitat. Finally, we compare data with past studies and analyze the best solutions to help tigers thrive.

Your work is obviously risky and exposes you to some danger.
Some of my memorable encounters include being chased by wild elephants and finding myself eyeballing a six-foot long python hanging from a tree. Sadly, I have yet to encounter tigers and rhinos. I'm not sure about how my family would react if they heard about some of my close calls. My parents wanted me to become a doctor, serve my community and make them proud. It took me a while to convince them that I was born to be a conservationist. Today, they are proud of me and what I do.

I must say that wildlife research is not for everyone. You need to have an undying passion for it. Then you will live it and love it. From chasing butterflies to tracing a tiger's stripes, I have come a long way although in many ways, this is but the beginning! I cannot imagine any other life as this is what I love doing.

Snow Leopard Prey Survey Reveals 'Noah's Ark' of Wildlife Thriving in Bhutan's Newest National Park

2012-02-13

Footage and Photographs Include Endangered Snow Leopard Scent-Spraying, Tibetan Wolf, Threatened Himalayan Serow and Musk Deer

Thimphu–The first ever snow leopard prey survey in Bhutan's newest national park revealed astonishing footage of snow leopards scent-marking, a sub-adult snow leopard, Tibetan wolf, threatened Himalayan serow, musk deer and a healthy population of blue sheep, the main food source for snow leopards.

This is the first pictorial evidence that snow leopards are thriving in Wangchuck Centennial Park, a vital snow leopard corridor between Jigme Dorji National Park (JDNP) in the West and Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary in the East. Field biologists from the Government of Bhutan and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) captured over 10,000 images during the camera trap survey in Wangchuck Centennial Park.

The survey was focused on snow leopard prey species, but in addition to snow leopard images, they also captured images and footage of Tibetan wolf, wild dog, red fox, blue sheep, Himalayan serow, musk deer, Pika, pheasants and several birds of prey.

"The findings are phenomenal as these are the first snow leopard images recorded in Wangchuck Centennial Park," said WWF's Dr. Rinjan Shrestha, who led the survey team. "It suggests that the network of protected areas and corridors is helping to link local snow leopard populations, which will be invaluable to ensure long-term persistence of snow leopards in the region."

Snow leopards are elusive and endangered, with around 4,500-7,500 in the wild. Bhutan is the only country on Earth where the habitat of snow leopards and tigers intersect. It's unknown how many exist there, but it's critical to find out as threats are mounting – from retaliatory killing from herders, loss of habitat to farmers and poaching for their pelts. And then there's climate change.

Warming at high elevations in the Himalayas is causing treelines to ascend and isolating snow leopard populations. Under a high emission scenario, as much as 30 percent of their range could be lost. Their ability to move northward is limited by oxygen availability.

The overall goal of the survey is to determine how many snow leopards there are in Wangchuck and where they exist, in order to prioritize the best areas for conservation.

"The snow leopard images from the park show the incredible richness of wildlife thriving in Wangchuck Centennial Park and prove why the park must be supported by donor agencies for conservation," said Dr. Pema Gyamtsho, Minister of Agriculture and Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan. "For snow leopard conservation in Bhutan, Wangchuck Centennial Park acts as the critical linkage between Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary and Jigme Dorji National Park, thereby ensuring the functionality of the northern Bhutan conservation complex."

The Government of Bhutan and WWF have partnered to co-manage Wangchuck Centennial Park since it was designated as Bhutan's tenth national park in 2008. With 244 vascular plant species, 23 mammal species and 134 bird species, the park is rich in biodiversity. Its dedication resulted in Bhutan having more than half its land under protection. The Government of Bhutan and WWF work together on species conservation, climate change studies, monitoring, patrolling and community conservation projects.

WWF Bhutan's Conservation Director, Mr. Vijay Moktan, said "After JDNP this is the 2^nd National Park that promises future for safe refuge of this globally endangered BIG CAT. WWF will continue to work with the royal government to assess snow leopard population status and their distribution patterns across its habitat in Bhutan. Hopefully, we will have a well informed Snow leopard Conservation Action Plan for the Kingdom of Bhutan in the next 2-3 years".

For further information, contact:
Vijay Moktan, Conservation Director, WWF Bhutan vmoktan@wwfbhutan.org.bt

WWF captures first known tiger images in northern India forest

2012-02-06

New Delhi, India - As it nears the end of its journey inside the northern Indian State of Uttarakhand, the Kosi River flows down the Himalayan foothills that separate the Corbett Tiger Reserve from the Ramnagar Forest Division to its east. The rustic forests that blanket this area are an important tiger habitat and form part of a crucial natural link – known as a corridor – that allows the endangered big cats and other important species to thrive.

A WWF team working in Kaladhungi, which forms part of the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), has documented a Bengal tiger traversing the Kosi River, the first time the endangered species is known to have been captured on camera in the area.
Northern india tigers

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Debmalya Roy Chowdhury, a Project Officer working in the area, shares an eyewitness account of this rare sighting:

"It was almost 11 in the mroning on 31 October, 2011. I was with two colleagues, Chandar Singh Neg and Tara Thaplial, [and we were] all very tired after a six kilometre walk on the bed of River Kosi under a scorching sun. We were about to reach one of the camera trap points along River, where WWF-India has been conducting the Kosi Corridor Monitoring Study for past two months. Just after crossing the river bed, Tara screamed out "Sir, tiger-tiger!" I looked up. How I felt at the moment is very hard to describe in words. There was a huge, mature male tiger walking along the river bed in that broad daylight attempting to move into the Corbett Tiger Reserve. The big cat was few hundred metres away from us. After a few seconds of being perplexed, I started clicking off photographs. The tiger spotted us and tried to take cover, but realising there being none it turned back towards our camera point and disappeared into the jungle. This sighting made us get over our tiredness and we followed its tracks up to our camera point. This was the most memorable on-foot sighting of a tiger I have ever had in my life - and it is probably the best direct evidence we have to document how well the River Kosi corridor is working."

Amazing findings in the Kosi River corridor

Adding substance to the above documentation are findings from a WWF-India study conducted in 2011. As part of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India's all India tiger estimation exercise, WWF was involved in camera trapping and the subsequent estimation of tigers in the Ramnagar Forest Division, which includes the Kosi River corridor. The results were astonishing – both the positive findings as well as the challenges faced by the tigers.

"Our study lead by tiger biologist Meraj Anwar revealed that Ramanagar Forest Division has the highest density of tigers outside a Protected Area anywhere in India and perhaps the world. We obtained a high tiger density of over 15 tigers per 100 sq. km. In fact, this density is higher than that of many well known Tiger Reserves in India," said Joseph Vattakaven, a Tiger Coordinator with WWF India. The detailed findings were published in Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India, 2010.*

Adds Joseph, "We have initiated a detailed study on the pressures the River Kosi corridor is currently facing. Our intensive camera trapping study that is ongoing shows that tigers are dispersing via the River Kosi corridor but the unchecked mushrooming of resorts in the corridor is the single biggest cause for concern. Also, the fact that these tigers are in a non-protected area increases the urgency for measures to protect them. The protection they currently get is far less than the adjoining Corbett Tiger Reserve."

The urgency of protecting this tiger population comes as WWF's Tigers Alive Initiative launches a Zero Poaching action to stop tiger poaching in its tracks in tiger heartlands – the core areas where the big cat lives and breeds. WWF and its partners increasing their engagement in the Kosi River Corridor will be a key aspect to building a future for the tiger there. The Tigers Alive Initiative is calling on tiger country governments to secure the heartlands through renewed dedication and support for the well trained and managed field staff working every day on the tiger conservation frontlines.

Tiger captured for first time using northeastern India wildlife corridor

2012-01-25

New Delhi - The New Year brought a new surprise for wildlife monitoring teams near northeastern India's Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, as a tiger was captured for the first time using one of the important wildlife corridors south of the famous park.

The Karbi Anglong landscape south of Kaziranga has been used by wildlife for generations during peak monsoon periods when the Reserve itself if flooded. Camera traps set up by WWF's Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Conservation Programme (KKL) caught the tiger in late December using the Kanchanjuri corridor.

As the communities and tourism activities in the already heavily populated region south of Kaziranga grow, the area's four main wildlife corridors, including Kanchanjuri, continue to be squeezed by human activity and infrastructure. In addition to the tiger, the photos also captured important and endangered wildlife such as elephants, common leopards, wild boar, barking deer and even a melanistic leopard, commonly called a black panther.

The discoveries have led WWF-India to reiterate its long term support for these vital wildlife corridors. The WWF KKL team has been working with communities in the region since 2005, and has been documenting wildlife using the corridors since initially setting up camera traps in June 2010.

The Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape, in the far northeastern Indian state of Assam, is one of 12 priority landscapes in which WWF focuses its tiger conservation efforts. Kaziranga Tiger Reserve has the world's highest density of Bengal tigers. Animals migrating from Kaziranga during floods to the Karbi Anglong hills to the South use specific forested strips or 'corridors' running across National Highway 37 to reach higher ground. Four main corridors are currently intact – Kanchanjuri, Panbari, Haldibari and Amguri.

WWF India is continuing to document tiger and wildlife migrations, and will intensify its efforts with communities in the region to ensure thriving corridors and protection of the species that use them.

Never before seen Russian snow leopards caught on camera

2011-11-30

New WWF camera traps have captured the images of two rare snow leopards in Russia. The photographs are the first ever taken of snow leopards in Russia's Altai mountains. WWF camera traps last month also captured the first images of snow leopards in Nepal.

Two snow leopards appear in the new pictures. One of them was captured in the daylight, which is unusual, because the reclusive predator prefers to hunt in the dusk. Snow leopards are endangered with only an estimated 6,000 remaining in the wild.

WWF was also lucky to get the pictures of another very cautious animal – Manul, or Pallas's cat. The camera also captured snowcocks, a wolverine, steppe polecat, stoat, and Siberian ibex.

Previously, experts could monitor this endangered species only by prints and other signs such as feces, bits of fur, claw or teeth marks on trees and the ground. This type of monitoring requires endurance, professionalism, and luck, because snow leopard habitat is located on mountain ridges up to 4000 meters high that are difficult to access, and old snow leopard tracks can often be confused with lynx and wolverine tracks.

The camera traps are installed along the whole Chikhacheva ridge in Russia and Mongolia. Such simultaneous photomonitoring in different parts of the habitat will allow us to get information on snow leopard distribution and help us plan conservation measures.

The snow leopard population on this mountain ridge is considered to be key for the species in Russia. It consists of 10-15 animals and links Russian snow leopards with the ones in Mongolia.

New WWF camera trap captures snow leopard in Nepal

2011-11-22

Camera traps installed by WWF in the Nepalese Himalayas last month have captured their first picture of an endangered snow leopard. The cameras are part of a community monitoring project that will help WWF estimate number of snow leopards in area and determine the best way to conserve them.

"The camera traps are a means to empower local communities to lead conservation efforts of snow leopards," stated Anil Manandhar, Country Representative of WWF-Nepal.

"With habitat loss, poaching and retaliatory killing by herders posing as major threats to snow leopards, community stewardship in conservation is key to the protection of snow leopards," he added.

There are only about 6,000 snow leopards remaining in the wild. The animals stand to lose over a third of their habitat to climate change in the coming decades.

Last week, the Eastern Himalayan nations of Bhutan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh met to address the impacts of climate change on food, water and energy security, as well as on biodiversity (more here on the Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas). The countries agreed to collaborate on adaptation efforts to protect water sources, ensure sustainable food production, increase access to clean energy, and coordinate disaster management.

"The framework of cooperation will see the creation of an interconnected mosaic of conservation spaces across the Eastern Himalayas, crucial for communities that rely on the region's natural resources for their survival and the protection of endangered species such as the snow leopard," said Liisa Rohweder, CEO of WWF-Finland.

This graph shows the estimated snow leopard population by country. The elusive nature of the species makes it difficult to obtain an accurate population count.

Five rare wild cat species caught on camera in Sumatra

2011-11-16

Pekanbaru, Indonesia – After an amazing five of the seven wild cat species found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra were recently caught on camera in a tract of forest rapidly being lost to deforestation, WWF-Indonesia is urging companies and authorities to take immediate steps to save the valuable area.

Conducted in a forest of rich biodiversity known as Bukit Tigapuluh or Thirty Hills, the WWF survey captured on camera the Sumatran tiger, clouded leopard, marble cat, golden cat, and leopard cat. All of the wild cats were found in an unprotected forest corridor between the Bukit Tigapuluh forest landscape and the Rimbang Baling Wildlife sanctuary in Riau Province.

The area is threatened by encroachment and forest clearance for industrial plantations.

"Four of these species are protected by Indonesian Government regulations and are listed as threatened by extinction on the IUCN Red List," said Karmila Parakkasi, Coordinator of the WWF-Indonesia Tiger Research Team (@milaredkani).

"This underscores the rich biodiversity of the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape and the forest corridors that connect to it. These amazing cat photos also remind us of how much we could lose as more of these fragile forests are lost to logging, plantations and illegal encroachment."

During a three month systematic sampling in the forest corridor this year, the camera trapping resulted in 404 photos of wild cats, including 226 of Sumatran tigers, 77 of clouded leopards, 70 of golden cats, 4 of marbled cats, and 27 of leopard cats.

In May 2011, WWF-Indonesia released video footage from a camera trap of three young tiger siblings playfully chasing a leaf. That footage was taken in the same area of the current batch of wild cat photos.

"Unfortunately much of the natural forest area in the landscape is threatened by large scale clearance for industrial logging, pulp and paper, as well as illegal encroachment for palm oil plantation development," said Aditya Bayunanda WWF-Indonesia's Coordinator for the Global Forest Trade Network Programme.

"The abundant evidence of these five wild cat species suggests that the concession licenses of companies operating in these areas, such as Barito Pacific, should be reviewed and adjusted according to Indonesian Ministry regulations, which state that concession areas with the presence of endangered species should be protected by the concessionaire.

WWF-Indonesia has also called on protection for areas bordering Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, either by expanding the park or managing it under the current forest ecosystem restoration scheme," he continued.

At a November 2nd, 2011 WWF event in Jakarta, Indonesian Minister of Forestry Zulkifli Hasan publicly stated his support for issuing a license for a forest ecosystem restoration scheme in Bukit Tigapuluh.

Bukit Tigapuluh is designated a "global priority Tiger Conservation Landscape" and is one of six landscapes the government of Indonesia pledged to protect at last year's International Tiger Forum, or Tiger Summit, of world leaders in St. Petersburg, Russia.

After intensive surveys this year of the Bukit Tigapuluh and Tesso Nilo landscapes in Sumatra, the forest corridor between Rimbang Baling and Bukit Tigapuluh was found to contain the most wild cats.

Camera trap photographs one of few critically endangered Amur leopards in China

2011-10-18

A wild Amur leopard has been photographed by a camera trap in northeast China last month, adding evidence to the possibility of population stability of the species.

The photos were taken in the afternoon on 19 September 2011 at one of WWF's Amur tiger conservation pilot sites. The camera traps were set-up by WWF-China and the Jilin Forestry Department to document Amur leopards, tigers and their prey.

What makes this particular event important is that the leopard was found scores of kilometres away from the China-Russia border – far further than the believed maximum home range covered by an Amur leopard. Based on previous discoveries of Amur leopard tracks found by WWF-China in Wangqing, this further infers that the leopard caught on camera is likely to be from the area.

Dr Zhu Chunquan, Conservation Director of Biodiversity and Operations, WWF-China said that this was a positive step towards Amur leopard conservation in China.

"The total population of the wild Amur leopard is even more endangered than its more eminent cousin, the Amur tiger. The recovery of the population in northeast China is very critical for the sustainable survival of the entire Amur leopard population in the world," said Dr Zhu.

WWF-China is working closely with the Jilin Forestry Department to protect Amur tigers and leopards by conducting activities like anti-poaching, patrolling and monitoring, recovery of prey population, and promoting the establishment of nature reserves to the government. So far, progress has been made in the official drawing up of recovery plans; and Wangqing provincial nature reserve will be promoted to national level, thereby increasing the habitat area for both the Amur tiger and leopard.

The Amur leopard is a very rare and endangered species that is in extreme need of proper conservation efforts. Due to the rarity of the animal, special background survey or data of the Amur leopard has not been conducted in China. But according to data collected roughly ten years ago in the wildlife resource surveys in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, there's an estimated 7-12 Amur leopards in China. Another 20-25 are believed to live in southern Russia.

In 2009, WWF-China established the pilot site in Wangqing for wild Amur tiger and leopard conservation. We have been working closely with the Jilin Forestry Department and Wangqing Forest Bureau in the pilot site to ensure tiger and leopard population recovery, and since then successes have been made in finding Amur leopard tracks, dung and hairs over the past few years during daily monitoring and winter surveys. Jilin Forestry Bureau and WWF-China are planning to conduct a background survey for the Amur leopard population in Jilin to acquire the basic data for conservation.

Critically endangered Amur leopards captured on video

2011-07-13

Vladivostok, Russia – Recent video footage from a survey on a group of critically endangered Amur leopards in the Russian Far East has yielded unexpectedly positive results, giving evidence that some wild groups of the big cat are showing clear signs of a tendency towards population growth, says WWF Russia.

The recordings, which document a total of 12 leopards, reveal two different pairs of the rare spotted animals and one individual in the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve and "Leopardoviy" Federal Wildlife Refuge in Russia's Primorsky Province, located between the Sea of Japan and the Chinese border.

One scene captures a pair of leopards moving languidly through a small forest clearing, while a second shows a female leopard parenting a nearly grown-up cub.

"In the previous 5 years of camera-trapping, we were able to identify between 7 and 9 individual leopards in this monitoring plot every year. But this year, the survey was record-breaking: today 12 different leopards inhabit the territory," says Sergei Aramilev, Species Program Coordinator at WWF Russia's Amur Branch. "The results are pointing to a population increase of up to 50 per cent within the target group in Kedrovaya Pad and Leopardoviy," he adds, "and I think we can attribute this to improvements in how our reserves are managed and the long-term efforts that have gone into leopard conservation."

There are fewer than 50 Amur leopards remaining in the wild. To help understand how to better protect this rare animal, WWF Russia and the Institute of Sustainable Use of Natural Resources (ISUNR), a non-profit organization based in Vladivostok, and the Pacific Institute of Geography of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Science have carried out this regular survey for the past 6 years.

Leopards changing their spots
The Amur leopard now inhabits only a fraction of its original range, which once extended throughout China's Northeastern provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang, and into the Korean Peninsula. In Russia, about 80 per cent of the species' former range disappeared between 1970 and 1983.

Unsustainable logging, forest fires and land conversion for farming are the main causes. The Amur leopard – which is also know as the Far-Eastern leopard, Korean leopard and Manchurian leopard - has also been hit hard by poaching, mostly for its unique spotted fur.

In December 2010, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov announced that the government would take urgent measures to protect the critically endangered species, including the creation of a new national park – the "Land of Leopard".

The new, larger reserve would merge the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve with the nearby Leopardovy Wildlife Refuge in Russia. The Hunchun Nature Reserve in China, also an important habitat for Amur leopards, is expected to be added at a later date to from a transboundary protected.

"Even the first steps towards establishing the "Land of Leopard" national park are having positive results. The fact that the number of Amur leopards has grown from 7 to 12 on the monitoring plot offers proof that creating one united trans-boundary protected area is the right idea," says Yury Darman, director of WWF Russia's Amur branch.

First use of video monitoring
This is the first time WWF Russia and ISUNR have used video-enabled cameras to monitor the leopards living in and around the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve.

"The digital cameras helped us capture longer image sequences for the survey, which gave us important insights into these very unique animals' lives," comments Sergei Aramilev. "What we've seen this year suggests that the leopard group being surveyed is experiencing a tendency towards population growth. We hope that next winter, after the monitoring is carried out across the entire range, this trend will be proven true," he continues.

A similar monitoring program is being run the Wildlife Conservation Society in plots to the north of Kedrovaya Pad, covering part of the federal Leopardovy Wildlife Refuge and the Nezhinskoye Hunting Estate. Integrated data obtained from both monitoring plots will be available in the coming months.

Camera captures tiger cubs in forest under imminent threat of clearing

2011-05-09

Pekanbaru, Indonesia – WWF camera traps recorded an astounding 12 tigers in just two months in the central Sumatran landscape of Bukit Tigapuluh, including two mothers with cubs. A video camera trap in the same area has also captured footage of three young tiger siblings playfully chasing a leaf.

"Our team was thrilled to discover 47 tiger images in our camera traps, from which we identified six unique individuals," said Karmila Parakkasi, who leads WWF's tiger research team in Sumatra.

"That was the highest number of tigers and tiger images obtained in the first month of sampling we've ever experienced. And then the results from the second month were even more impressive—not just one tiger family but two, with another six tigers."

Forest could be cleared for pulp and paper industry

The forest where the tigers were recorded is under imminent threat of being cleared by the pulp and paper industry, despite being designated a "global priority Tiger Conservation Landscape". It is one of six the government of Indonesia pledged to protect at last November's tiger summit of world leaders in Russia. The area, known as Bukit Tigapuluh, or "Thirty Hills", is located in Riau and Jambi provinces in Central Sumatra.

There are an estimated 400 critically endangered Sumatran tigers left in the wild. Evidence of three cubs surviving is extremely rare, WWF tiger experts said, and was captured by cameras located in the forest that are triggered by infrared sensors.

"What's unclear is whether we found so many tigers because we're getting better at locating our cameras or because the tigers' habitat is shrinking so rapidly here that they are being forced into sharing smaller and smaller bits of forests," said Parakkasi.

WWF's analysis found the tigers are concentrated in locations with good forest cover, which includes natural forest areas inside a land concession belonging to a subsidiary of Barito Timber Pacific. As soon as pending permits are granted by the government, the company could clear the forest to supply the wood to Asia Pulp & Paper of Sinar Mas Group. Prominent conservation groups including WWF have urged the two companies and the government of Indonesia to protect these forests instead.

"This video confirms the extreme importance of these forests in the Bukit Tigapuluh ecosystem and its wildlife corridor," said Anwar Purwoto, director of WWF-Indonesia's Forest and Species Program.

"WWF calls for all concessions operating in this area to abandon plans to clear this forest and protect areas with high conservation value. We also urge the local, provincial and central government to take into consideration the importance of this corridor and manage it as part of Indonesia's commitments to protecting biodiversity."

Between 2004 and 2010, Bukit Tigapuluh lost 205,460 hectares of forest to pulp and paper and the palm oil industries.

The Sumatran tiger and the other five surviving tiger subspecies – the Amur, Malayan, Bengal, Indochinese and South China – number as few as 3,200. WWF is working to build the political, financial and public support to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022.

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Camera trap catches lynx, other unsuspecting animals

2011-01-11

Camera traps placed in Azerbaijan captured images of Eurasian lynx, jungle cats, brown bears, wolves, hares and wild boar in the autumn of 2010.

Read more about WWF's work in the The Caucasus Ecoregion.

Caucasus news and publications.

Camera traps yield first-time film of tigress and cubs

2010-01-07

Jakarta, Indonesia – Camera traps deep in the Sumatran jungle have captured first-time images of a rare female tiger and her cubs, giving researchers unique insight into the elusive tiger's behaviour.

After a month in operation, specially designed video cameras installed by WWF-Indonesia's researchers seeking to record tigers in the Sumatran jungle caught the mother tiger and her cubs on film as they stopped to sniff and check out the camera trap.

There are as few as 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild and they are under relentless pressure from poaching and clearing of their habitat. After five years of studying tigers using wildlife-activated camera traps set up in the forest, these are the first images of a tiger with offspring.

"We are very concerned though, because the territory of this tigress and its cubs is being rapidly cleared by two global paper companies, palm oil plantations, encroachers, and illegal loggers. Will the cubs survive to adulthood in this environment?" said Karmila Parakkasi, the leader of WWF-Indonesia's Sumatran tiger research team.

The discovery comes as WWF prepares to launch a campaign on 14 Feb. 2010, to coincide with the start of the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar.

The year-long, Tx2: Double or Nothing campaign aims to raise the bar for tiger conservation by securing high-level political commitment at a Heads of State Tiger Summit in September in Vladivostok, Russia to be hosted by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and supported by WWF and other partners of the Global Tiger Initiative, including the World Bank.

"We want to change the course of tiger conservation," said Mike Baltzer, leader of WWF's global Tiger Initiative. "It's not just about saving the tiger from extinction, but about doubling their number by 2022."

With wild tiger numbers as low as 3,200, and a systematic attempt underway to wipe them out of the forests in Asia, more must be done to ensure this charismatic species and flagship for Asia's biological diversity, culture and economy is not lost forever.

In addition to the tigress and cubs' footage, the video camera also captured images of a male Sumatran tiger and its prey, wild boar and deer, as well as many other species such as tapirs, macaques, porcupines and civets.

Infrared-triggered camera traps, which are activated upon sensing body heat in their path, have become an important tool to identify which areas of the forest are used by tigers, and to identify individual animals to monitor the population. WWF has operated dozens of cameras throughout the central Sumatran province of Riau.

Parakkasi and her team first captured still images of the tigress and its cub in July 2009 through still camera traps. The photos were, however, not very clear.

"We were not so sure how many cubs there were," she said.

Video camera traps were then installed in September at the same location to clarify the initial findings.

WWF's tiger research team set up four of the video camera traps in known tiger routes in a forested "wildlife corridor" that allows animals to move between two protected areas in central Sumatra – Rimbang Baling Wildlife Reserve in Riau and Bukit Tigapuluh National Park in both Riau and Jambi provinces.

"When these cubs are old enough to leave their mother, which will be soon, they will have to find their own territory," said Ian Kosasih, WWF-Indonesia's Forest Programme Director. "Where will they go? As tiger habitat shrunk with so much of the surrounding area having been cleared, the tigers will have a very hard time avoiding encounters with people. That will then be very dangerous for everyone involved."

"With this clear scientific evidence of tiger presence, WWF calls for formal establishment of the area between Rimbang Baling and Bukit Tigapuluh forests as a protected wildlife corridor," Kosasih said.

WWF is also urging the paper companies operating in the area – Sinar Mas/APP and APRIL – as well as palm oil plantations to help protect all high conservation value forests under their control that are the habitat of tigers and other endangered species.

Learn more about tigers

WWF camera trap captures rare little long-tailed dunnart footage

2009-08-03

WWF field staff working in Australia's only biodiversity hotspot, the Southwest Australia Ecoregion, recently collected some exciting and rare footage of a tiny native marsupial.

Using an infra-red camera trap, project officer Phil Lewis captured footage of a little long-tailed dunnart, a small mouse-like animal found in parts of Western Australia and South Australia.The rarely seen footage was taken in bushland in Korrelocking and shows the dunnart furtively surveying its territory at night. Korrelocking is located in the Western Australian Wheatbelt, an area which has undergone large-scale land clearing over the past 100 years.

"This widespread clearing for farming has caused the bushland in this region to become seriously fragmented," Phil explained. "This has resulted in the remaining bush forming 'islands' cut off from each other by farmland."

Native animals, like the dunnart, rely on these bushland islands for their survival. This footage was captured in one of these islands containing rare eucalypt woodland.

"Unfortunately, even with their habitat intact inside these woodland island remnants, these tiny carnivorous marsupials still face many threats including wildfire and introduced predators such as the red fox and feral cats," said Phil.

Footage of the European red fox, a major predator and threat to the little long-tailed dunnart was also captured by Phil in the same location. It shows the fox on the prowl for anything that might provide a tasty morsel.

Phil Lewis works on WWF's Healthy Ecosystems, a project that spans nearly 10 years and works with farmers to get better conservation outcomes for the remaining privately-owned bush in the Southwest Australia Ecoregion.

Most of the important vegetation types that currently remain on private land across the Wheatbelt are vastly under-represented in Western Australia's conservation estate. The project encourages and supports private land managers to undertake conservation management in their patches of bush to help protect this important habitat and increase the chances of survival of the unique and amazing animals that inhabit it.