Predator, prey, a man who protects them...

These posts (as well as other updates) are at Facebook should you wish to comment.

.I dedicate these images to Ramesh Thapa (also known as Panthera Thapa). There are many people who have helped the Bardia tiger population recover but few who have risked life and limb as much as the dedicated Chief Warden. Anti-Poaching is a tough gig, death threats to those involved, their families, as well as physical confrontations are part of the landscape.

Wildlife protection, to be effective, involves sacrifice, the job is never done, there is no time for back slapping. Another man, a high ranking military officer, at the forefront of anti-poaching here, when I see him he uses the words "till now" ... which effectively means anything could happen in an instant, there has to be constant readiness. Till now, Ramesh Thapa has shown total commitment, I'm sure that will never stop...

I have thousands of images and hours of video footage, I'm very careful how I use them/it, no unnecessary data is published but it is important that people understand just how much work goes into wildlife protection at ground level.

Every day a bonus when you are a deer in tiger land...

As beautiful as they are I'm pretty sure I don't want to come back in my next life as a chital. Or for that matter any ungulate in Nepal (although it could actually be less dangerous than driving on the roads here). For spotted deer on the Terai to Himalayan tahr in the shadows of the world's loftiest peaks, all sorts of "tigers" await, hoofed animals are prey species for hungry big cats. Yesterday and today so far, ears, eyes, nose, sixth sense and technology have told me stories of chital coping with panthera tigris as wary movements, alarm calls and giant pug marks signal the drama of the jungle. Perhaps this deer was a scout? Tiger was nearby...
The word "tiger" in Nepal can mean leopard, snow leopard, smaller wild cats and of course the huge striped predator but to deer they all mean one thing, danger and the constant reminder that things could get messy...

These posts (and other updates) are at Facebook if you wish to comment.

To a wildlife lover, a small gift for a friend in pain...

 I’ve written recently about using remote camera images as an art form to express coexistence in the areas the leopard roams, protected and unprotected zones, showing species from the high mountains to the boiling lowlands, such is the range of the leopard.

I want to dedicate this recent image to a dear lady who corresponds with me, she has a great love for wildlife. This woman is in a lot of pain, sadly at a time of life where she should be enjoying peace in twilight years, after raising children, living her life. Life is harsh in that respect, as it is in many ways. Another message today confirmed her pain and discomfort.

“I used to give away small elephants made of stone as gifts of good luck but for you dear friend, I send you the strength of this elephant as it wandered recently in the still of night, a fleeting moment when it allowed a little light to capture the journey. As I do for this magnificent animal, I wish you well in the days to come…”

A little note – for security reasons I turn off location settings in remote cameras and I crop off the image details before posting.

These posts (and other updates) are at Facebook should you wish to comment...

Monitoring predator and prey...

I made a few posts at my personal Facebook page prior to this today but please also follow
Living with Leopards

And finally today (got some laptop time in during the oppressive heat but now it's back into the jungle), whether it be in mountain or lowland areas, the use of technology (remote cameras, GPS etc) is vital in this work for monitoring predator and prey, behaviour and movement, as well as working as a backup to one's own field notes. Tools to increase understanding are a huge help but every case is different, there are always unique dynamics, each individual animal has its own characteristics... all this elements have to stay front of mind... Jai Chituwa

Not just about #leopards, #tigers, it's about minimal disturbance...

A leopard or a tiger can't just pop down to the shops and order a chital (spotted deer) burger. Chital are fast, super fast. It's no wonder big cats will take dogs when they can, they are like tortoise when compared to deer. Hunting bigger prey is low percentage for leopards and tigers which is why they have to make it count when they can... especially in this pre monsoon heat where efficient energy use is vital. That being said, prey will make use of available water holes, the big cats know this...

I rarely carry a standard camera now. My focus (excuse the pun, intentional, attempted humour, I like it even if no one else does) is remote cameras and for the past six years I've been developing technique. If, like yesterday, I see animals like tiger and elephant while in the jungle, I enjoy the moment, confine it to the memory card in my mind (it still works) and the smile in my heart (also still works). High resolution remote cameras (RCs), placed in the right places at the right times, bring the reward of images of animals undisturbed, acting naturally. I've got ten of thousands of images both from still cameras and remote cameras. Just in the last 24 hours I've gone through over 4000 images from RCs placed for security (anti-poaching and leopard rehab zone) as well as monitoring. To understand predators you have to understand what they eat.

Anyone who has followed these blogs (my sincere thanks to those who do) knows I hate disturbing wildlife. If you disturb a deer it may well be that a tiger hiding in wait will go hungry. My philosophy as a conservationist is to move quickly and as quietly as possible in the jungle, look for and record sign, place cameras as needed... keep disturbance and footprint to an absolute minimum. My great wish is that one day the wildlife tourism sector will be more uniform in this thinking.

Using RCs for wildlife photography as an art form is something I have decided to concentrate on now more and more to deliver a message, particularly with regard to leopard conservation. One of my most important goals is to help the leopard get protected status in as many regions as possible. By bringing the story of how the leopard lives, its incredible importance as an ecological engineer and the fact that this apex predator covers regions far beyond tiger and other "hero" species, that will be another step towards the goal. The magnificent chital stag in the image is a part of the web of life in which the leopard plays its role...

FOOTNOTE: I have cropped the details of the photo out of the image for security reasons. The location (GPS) recorder was switched off in camera, that data is recorded manually.

#People #Wildlife #Conservation - Images that tell stories...

These are two posts I've just made at Facebook...

WHEN A "BIG BOSS LEOPARD" VISITED LEOPARD CAMP - PREVIEW... I mentioned several months ago I would tell this story and on my recent leopard related trip to several other areas, quite a few people asked me about the big Annapurna leopard that Asa and I had to contend with in the mountains. Amusingly, since I published a post about a leopard I call "The Boss" here in Bardia, a few people have started talking about boss leopards, well, the cat you can see in the photo, he is a big boss, a very big cat. I will tell more of the story soon, the camera trap which took this image took over 1600, telling the story of the big boss, the leopard Asa and me over period of about 24 hours. More soon...

I really like this image for the story it tells. It was taken just a couple of hours ago by a camera in position to help protect people and wildlife, indeed the data it provided again over the last 24 hours did just that. In the image a National Park mahout returns from the jungle, you can see the time. People on elephant back is a controversial subject but for anti-poaching and some research situations there is simply no other option. I've realized more and more that there is not really a good understanding from the outside world of the realities of life and the effort in places like this. Military, NP staff and other anti-poaching and research units put in long hours in often dangerous conditions, the rewards are not material, they are of doing a vital job. Personally, although my focus is leopard, it is an eclectic undertaking, all wildlife and people falling under the conservation umbrella. I've thought deeply about this situation and although we are going to start garnering better support through the upcoming "Friends of the Leopard" program, it is really all about overall protection. I'll be bringing more stories and images to show that, hopefully to increase understanding which will turn into actual support...

Rescued big cat relocation to places they need to be...

Great news. The concept of releasing rescued predators into areas where they are needed is something I firmly believe in and applies very much to our thinking with rehab leopards. Key is identifying ecosystems which need "rebuilding" with apex predators.

Via @WildTigerNews 

Vladik the tiger that stalked the city of Vladivostok is released back into the wild

Crouching tiger, speeding monkey...

Sometime in the next few weeks I'm going to give a big shout out to PROSCHOICE AUSTRALIA for their help in technology and how that in itself is an essential tool in wildlife monitoring and anti-poaching. With regard to camera traps, they don't just place themselves, there's a lot of strategy and legwork involved. As part of my script here I'm training the Rapid Response Team to use cameras for anti-poaching mainly in buffer zone jungles. This can require twice daily patrolling and camera work in temperatures well over 40 degrees C. These electronic eyes in the jungle, with different types of cameras and communications for different situations are effective but not the only answer in wildlife protection, a broad methodology makes for long hours. At the end of these days buffalo milk never tasted so good. Then after that it's raw data to be sorted, images in their hundreds which tell stories of crouching tigers, speeding monkeys and so much more...

Quick post - conservation status - leopard shit v monkey shit...

Super busy at the moment but I'll have more on this issue.  This post is also at Facebook if you wish to comment.

Lately there has been comment that because the leopard is not a protected species there should not be the resources allocated. Oh boy, am I going to have fun in my book with this. This once again shows the total ignorance from many sectors of what happens when a key predator is removed from habitat (poaching, retaliation killing etc). There is more and more criticism of IUCN conservation status ratings from conservationists as it is but they are still the holy grail for policy makers, most of who wouldn't know leopard shit from monkey shit. Protected status for the leopard is vital for effective ecosystem management, it has nothing to do with numbers, predator displacement can have a highly negative effect. I'll continue to fight for full protection of the leopard no matter what, however it is disturbing once again the lack of support on this issue, it just shows that basic knowledge of ecology is lacking.

A seriously neglected species, time to take the fight to a new level...

"HEAVY POACHING OF NEGLECTED LEOPARDS OVER THE WEEKEND" is the title of one the tweets just made at @WildTigerNews (www.twitter.com/wildtigernews) and it's also at www.facebook.com/livingwithleopards - thanks to those who follow those platforms.

"WILL LEOPARD GO EXTINCT BEFORE TIGER?" is part of the text in the article...
I'm about to drop down to the Terai again, a couple more days in just under two weeks of fact finding, door knocking, negotiating and a hell of a lot of walking, all for the leopard. I'll bring news shortly of the LEOPARD TASK FORCE, something which is going well beyond the borders of Nepal.

I'm tired of the apathy, ignorance and lack of care for leopards. I'm tired of the fact this big cat is neglected because it is not a "money making species" and I'm tired of hearing tiger tiger tiger, rhino rhino rhino because they are. The leopard is a biological entity, a magnificent animal, with an incredibly important role over a vast range of ecosystems, the world has to wake up to this. I'm bloody tired of saying it.

Over the last couple of weeks I've confirmed people who are prepared to dedicate to the leopard, people who over a period of time have proved themselves to me, for this species.
We will take the fight to save this species to another level within the context of the three main elements... coexistence, rehabilitation and wildlife crime.