21 Dec 2007 - Endangered
northern Amur tigers have received a boost
to their protection through the creation of
a new national park in Khabarovsk province,
located in the Russian Far East.
The Russian Government signed a decree declaring
the new Aniyuiskii national park on December
15, making it the third established in this
region this year.
Tiger habitats in the Russian Far East face
extreme pressures from uncontrolled logging,
construction and wildfires.
“Tiger’s habitats occupy more than two thirds
of the new Anyuiskii national park. From now
on, five to seven tigers out of 20 specimens
living in the Nanai district will receive
protected habitats”, says Yury Darman, head
of the WWF-Russia Amur branch. “At the same
time, the Anyuiskii Park serves as an ecological
corridor, which connects animals from the
Anyui River basin with the rest of the population.
It will become a link in the chain of ‘the
tiger econet’, a network of protected areas,
which is now being created by WWF”.
The 429000-hectare national park is located
on the right bank of the Amur River in the
Sikhote-Alin mountains. It is the least disturbed
by human activity in the region. Its principal
target is to protect the northern group of
Amur tigers.
The idea of the creation of a protected area
in the Anyui River basin was voiced as early
as in the twenties of the past century by
Vladimir Arseniev, a prominent Russian writer,
traveler and scientist. In the late 90s, WWF
and Khabarovsk-based NGO Wildlife Fund started
to design a new national park here.
Later other organizations also contributed
their efforts to the preparation of the needed
documentation, which was approved by the Khabarovsk
Province Governor in 2001. However, it took
another six years and numerous efforts for
the area to receive the official ‘national
park’ status.
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New arrival in Tesso Nilo Flying Squad
21 Dec 2007 - Ria, a female flying squad
elephant has given birth to a healthy baby
elephant, the second new addition for Tesso
Nilo Flying Squad in 2007. The first was ‘Lisa’
in February.
The new arrival was discovered by Warkasa
– (mahout and caretaker for Ria) on December
16 when preparing for a routine afternoon
bath for the pregnant elephant. He had heard
some strange sounds from the area where Ria
was chained and cautiously approached the
stable assuming the presence of a wild elephant.
To his utter surprise he saw Ria playing with
a newborn calf and informed the flying squad
team.
Upon receiving safety instructions from Flying
Squad Officer Syamsuardi, the team has shifted
the mother and baby to the flying squad camp
1.5 Kms away from the stable. Commenting on
the good news Syamsuardi said “Both the mother
and the baby are in perfect health. We are
very happy of the second new addition to the
squad and hope this birth will help promote
conservation efforts in Tesso Nilo and the
Flying Squad.”
For 25 year old Ria, this baby is her second
calf. In 1996, she had given birth to a male
baby elephant named Riko in the government
elephant training center. However, the calf
died when it was four years old.
