First time tiger, brilliant anti-poaching team...

This is "Babu" observing swamp deer shortly after his first ever tiger sighting.  As much as I feel very blessed to see the magnificent wildlife of western Nepal it is a special thrill when I see others enjoy their first sightings of the big three, tiger, elephant and rhino.  It is no small irony that westerners can buy a wildlife experience when many locals rarely, sometimes never have the opportunity to enjoy the same experience in a peaceful setting.  All too often the local experience may be a human/wildlife conflict issue such as elephants destroying crops, houses or worse, perhaps a leopard taking a goat.

Babu came with us on an anti-poaching unit training day (because his uncle was one of the trainers!) and although he is half the size of the rest of us his wonderful playful nature and thrill at seeing tiger enthralled us all.  At one stage, at a rest stop, he starting singing quietly to himself, everyone smiled at the moment.

I'll write more about Babu and other great characters of the jungle and mountains as time goes on.  The connectivity problems mean I will post short sharp blogs from this point.

For now I just want to briefly follow up on the poaching incident in my previous post.  Yesterday I met with Bardiya National Park  acting assistant warden Ashok Bhandari.  We talked about the process taking place for the three caught for illegal fishing.  I'll briefly sum up from the moment we stumbled across the three.

We had had a hot but successful training day.  Rajan had been educating the guys mainly with biodiversity training.  During the course of the day our party of ten had spotted two tigers, two rhinos and five elephants.  It was super hot, everything had gone well, there was a good feeling in the group so we decided to make our way back to Park HQ taking less used trails, walking in some stunning mixed and riverine forest.

We were zig zagging the beautiful Geruwa river, preparing to cross for the fourth time.  Such was the heat that these river crossings are sheer relief for body and spirit.  The threat of crocodiles is taken seriously but all creatures are taking it easy in the jungle oven, the risk is very calculated.  As we set down our gear, preparing for the crossing there is a sudden "loud whisper" asking all to quickly duck into the long grass.

Fishermen have been spotted in the distance.  We train camera lens, binoculars onto the culprits.  I prepare to take video as the team quickly takes action.  Rajan places a quick call to park authorities, Hemant is getting as many still images as he can, important evidence.  Meanwhile other team members start crossing the river with speed and stealth.  Most are across and creeping through the jungle by the time the fishermen spot trouble.

The fishermen start running.  They are out of the river quickly and tearing along the flats.  Within seconds our guys are sprinting out of the jungle and seemingly flying across the river.  The chase is no contest.  Within two minutes a quiet morning's fishing has turned into a very bad scene for three locals.

In my previous post you can see the looks of concern as the three are held for questioning while park authorities make their way.  Soon a walk and jeep ride see them arrive at the holding jail at Park HQ.

A day later Ashok tells how as "personal use" poachers they will be fined up to 2500 Nepal rupees each, not a small sum.  Professional poachers face must stiffer penalties as I will explain in future posts.  The whole investigation process must be completed within 25 days at which point sentence will be passed on recommendation from legal advisers attached to the Central Government.

This is the type of work the community based anti poaching unit (CBAPU) performs and makes huge impact with.  Ashok explains that CBAPU support has been a major factor in the reduction of poaching in the area. The result? A stronger ecology and tiger numbers increase.  Tiger populations reflect jungle health.  A fish, a tree, they all play their part.

When I mention to Ashok the possibility of a zero poaching year he understands I am referring to the big three, tiger, rhino, elephant.  However, he shakes his head.  There is no such thing as zero poaching.  All incidents, no matter what species, fauna or flora, must be treated seriously.  

I love this attitude.  This is why Bardiya is gaining such a strong name, why the tiger and all species under its umbrella are flourishing.  The work must never stop.  The CBAPU must continue playing its pivotal role.

More soon...cheers Jack.

Heat on Poachers...

HEAT on POACHERS ... well, heat on everyone really, it didn't dip below 45 degrees C until early hours of morning, 48 predicted for tomorrow and yet clothes still take ages to dry because of humidity...
You can see the fishing net, you can see the seriousness on Rajan's face after the capture was made, you can see the mixture of anger, confusion and embarrassment on the faces of the three caught fishing illegally in the National Park. It's a highly complex issue, many sides to the argument. Centuries old beliefs clash with hard core conservation. Rhino, tiger etc get all the publicity yet the problem runs so much deeper. I'm writing a book, this subject is a major part of it. I feel I've earned my stripes after many years, I'm concerned about a lot of the lies, agendas and also ignorant, often racist remarks I see on social media. There is a major lack of understanding regarding many issues in the poaching problem.
So this morning I'm in yet another meeting, this time with Nat Park authorities. There is a lot of positive action but as in so much of life there are better solutions that can be found...

This is another interim blog, I 'm going to post a main summary of the last few weeks when I am in Kathmandu, which should be reasonably soon as this jungle interlude has gone really well.

Cheers Jack

Staying off the menu...

Jack's tiger watching tip number 1 -

Put alternative food between you and big striped cat...

This is an interim blog post as I've been having a few connectivity issues here in the hot steamy west Nepal jungle.

So much has happened since my last post, the story changes daily, hopefully I'll be able to post it soon.

"Jungle to the Sky" has brought me back down to the jungle where conditions are really challenging.

What keeps me going is the positive, never complaining attitude of the people I am with.  Today was a perfect example.  It was another training day for members of the local anti poaching team.  We set off in high spirits after experiencing some brilliant wildlife encounters two days before.  We knew we were in for a hot one, the tourists have all but gone, there have been rumbling pre monsoon skys and humidity which means being sweat drenched as early as 6am

The promised heat came but so did two magical tiger sightings which were separated by a 20 minute run through the jungle.  Years of trail running did prepare me a little for this lope in an oven and I managed to convince myself that landing my left foot in a pile of rhino shit was a good thing as tigers don't usually attack rhinos.  Why run in 7 million degree heat and humidity off the scale?  I'll explain when I do get my main blog posted.

For all the magic of the wildlife encounters though it was an incident that occurred on our way back which filled me with pride and admiration.  We stumbled upon 3 people fishing illegally, we hid in the long grass, a strategy was formed, a chase ensued and now 3 poachers are being held for questioning by National Park Staff.

The details soon :)

From Jack in the jungle...

I'm selling my tiger!  Well one of them anyway.  Before anyone starts thinking  I've joined the dark side and have starting trading in wild tiger parts, hang on, this guy is made of wood and is crafted right here in Nepal.

Like me, he looks like he's been through a few battles.  He's even got a tooth missing ... but he's beautiful, I love him.

So why sell him?


Easy answer.  I just want him to go to a good home, anywhere in the world, because it's a kind of a celebration to let him go.  I've just spent some time in two urban jungles researching the illegal bird trade and it makes me really happy to report there have been major improvements in combating this crime.  One of my team at WildTiger has done some incredible work in this area.  I'll be writing more about that soon but it is just fantastic to see that the trade is nowhere near as visible as before.

Don't get me wrong, there is still much to be done. It is a never ending battle and the trade has been driven underground in these cities which means investigations take a different course.  However, it's progress, that makes me happy ... so I'm selling my tiger.

Don't worry, I have more, all different shapes and sizes, lots of books too, yep, I'm a nature geek.  And hey, it's not just about tigers, it's even about wild chickens ... but that's another story coming soon.

My "Jungle to the Sky" journey is taking me to the Himalaya tomorrow to investigate an owl poaching racket.  It's happening in a densely forested I know quite well at elevations between about 2000m to 2500m.  Pre monsoon rains are already changing the trails so I'll be trekking carefully in the heat and humidity.  I went for a long walk around the lake here in Pokhara yesterday.  Luckily I carried an umbrella as I was several kilometres away from home when there was a big downpour.  The sky went black, the lake shimmered, the rain was immense.  Imagine my surprise when a taxi suddenly beeped at me from behind on the dirt track.

"I give you ride, good price!"

I looked through the passenger window at the driver to see his eyes were wider than those beautifully crafted marble plates they sell in Patan.  I realized that he must have been skillful to drive in these conditions while stoned out of his mind actually holding the joint in his left hand and driving with his right.

"It's ok mate, I'm happy walking," I answered.

"You want a smoke then dai?" ... Dai means older brother, pronounced "dee".  He really was happy too.

"No thanks bhai (younger brother), I'm fine" .... the road was about to go uphill, the rain was pouring down, my risk management skills improving.

Big smiles.  Off he went.  I made it home and decided to sell my tiger.

I'll post the details soon.  It'll be through the JaiBagh shop www.wildtiger.org/jaibaghshop

He's beautiful.  If you buy him you'll be helping his wild tiger mates as well as lots of other wildlife and people.

I'll be back in a few days.  Got some owls to help out.

Cheers Jack.

Courage in the Name of the Cause...

The researcher who took this image is a gutsy, courageous, passionate conservationist.  Just a few weeks before he made this shot he confronted an angry mob, standing his ground in his fight against bird trafficking, one of the many elements of the illegal wildlife trade.  One day I'll be able to identify this brave operative and tell his compelling story but right now he is out there ... and making a big difference.

Earlier today I tweeted that tiger numbers in Nepal are on the rise.  I can also report that while the bird trade is still a big problem some real inroads are being made.  It's very naive to think that illegal wildlife trade will be completely wiped out.  It's a bit like saying drug trafficking will one day cease.  However I can say in all honesty that massive gains are being made, we aren't winning yet but we are certainly fighting hard.

Bardia National Park in western Nepal is looking at a zero poaching year ...yes, that means no loss of endangered species including tiger, rhino and elephant.

I personally want to express my thanks for the many messages of support and to those who have visited the JaiBagh Shop (www.wildtiger.org/jaibaghshop) and pre ordered the world's coolest shirt (some other great items coming up).  Your support makes a difference to many people as well as wildlife.  Social entrepreneurship benefits all involved.

The tiger, rhino, elephant and many other species can be saved, the people living in those areas can have good lives as long as we all do this together.

Thanks again,

Jack