Two panthers poached in Madhya Pradesh forest

September 22nd, 2009 BHOPAL - More than 60 years after the cheetah, the world's fastest land animal, was wiped out from India due to unbridled hunting, hectic efforts are on in Madhya Pradesh to ensure that the first translocated cheetah is introduced in its Palpur Kuno park in Sheopur district. The Palpur Kuno sanctuary was developed for the translocation of lions by the state's forest department.

August 3rd, 2009 BHOPAL - Hundreds of tribals converged in Bhopal on Monday to stage a protest rally to highlight administrative authorities' apathy in registration of their land. Hundreds of tribals belonging to various organisations from across Madhya Pradesh State converged here during the rally and carried placards and banners to demand early registration of their land.

July 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Two hundred and fifty-four proposals to divert 50,818 hectares of protected forest land have been approved by the government since the Forest (Conservation) Act was passed in 1980, parliament was informed Monday. Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh informed the Rajya Sabha in response to a question that the maximum amount of protected forest land, 12,579.12 hectares, had been diverted for coal mining in Chhattisgarh, followed by Andhra Pradesh (12,709.62 hectares), Madhya Pradesh (10,980.37), Jharkhand (7,545.33), Orissa (2,899.99), Uttar Pradesh (1,984.83) and Maharashtra (1,815.09).

July 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - "Tigers have become locally extinct in Panna largely due to poaching," the government admitted Monday, adding that the protected forest in Madhya Pradesh now has only two tigresses translocated there. The Madhya Pradesh government had reported in 2001-02 that there were 31 tigers in Panna, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh informed the Rajya Sabha in response to a question.

July 5th, 2009 BHOPAL - Yet another tigress has been found dead in Madhya Pradesh, amidst a hue and cry over the decline of the feline population in the state. The animal was poisoned to avenge the death of a villager's cattle, officials said.

June 30th, 2009 BHOPAL - Senior Congress leader Rameshwar Thakur took oath as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan today. Madhya Pradesh High Court Chief Justice A K Pattnaik administered the oath of office to the Thakur.

June 30th, 2009 BHOPAL - Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka governor Rameshwar Thakur was sworn in here Tuesday as the 18th governor of Madhya Pradesh. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Leader of Opposition in assembly Jamuna Devi, state Congress Committee president Suresh Pachouri, Madhya Pradesh cabinet ministers and other dignitaries were present on the occasion at Raj Bhavan.

June 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A Madhya Pradesh court Thursday sentenced a tiger poacher to three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs.10,000, officials said Thursday. Dariya (only the first name was given) was convicted Thursday by a court in Katni in Madhya Pradesh, the NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) said in a statement here.

June 4th, 2009 BHOPAL - A three-year old tigress died at Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal. According to the veterinarian attached to the zoo, the tigress, 'Era' died late on Tuesday night when the intended vomit wrongly entered the lungs through the wind gullet and aggravated the lungs.

June 2nd, 2009 PANAJI - Goa forest department officials Tuesday finally tracked down the charred remains of a tiger which was poached in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary. Sub divisional forest officer Subhash Henrigues told IANS that they had recovered partially burnt remains of the tiger, including several bones, distinct to the animal.

May 29th, 2009 BHOPAL - The Madhya Pradesh government will soon set up a special force to protect the tiger reserves in the state, a forest department official said Friday. "The Special Tiger Protection Force will be set up in the state following the directives of the NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority)," the official quoted Minister of State for Forests Rajendra Shukla as saying.

March 18th, 2009 BHOPAL - Madhya Pradesh has set up a Tiger Strike Force (TSF), made up of 138 former servicemen, to protect the animal in the state's national parks, Minister of State for Forests Rajendra Shukla said here Tuesday. In a written reply, Shukla informed the state assembly that the headquarter of the force is at Bhopal while regional centres were set up at five places - Indore, Satna, Itarsi, Sagar and Jabalpur.

March 10th, 2009 BHOPAL - A tigress from the Kanha National Park was airlifted Monday to the Panna Tiger Reserve in eastern Madhya Pradesh so as to increase the feline numbers in the reserve. The tigress taken by an Indian Air Force helicopter to the reserve spread in an area of 542 sq km in Panna and Chhatarpur districts of Madhya Pradesh Monday afternoon, forest officials said.

February 10th, 2009 BHOPAL - Candidates from the entire country would now be eligible to appear for examinations conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Public service Commission (MPPSC) or other bodies for state government jobs, an official source said Wednesday. The state cabinet Tuesday decided that passing higher secondary or graduation from Madhya Pradesh would not be a criteria for recruitment through the MPPSC.

January 2nd, 2009 BHOPAL - Villagers in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh killed a leopard, which attacked and injured at least six people including a woman in the past few days, officials said Saturday. 'The incident occurred Friday in Tarned village, six km from Dhar district headquarters, where the villagers attacked the wild cat with sticks and other weapons after it attacked and injured two persons critically,' said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Raghvendra Shrivastava.