Tiger Watch: Entire Population of Tiger Reserve Now Gone

Text by Paul Kvinta

Last week wildlife officials in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh finally confessed to something that they'd known for some time--Panna Tiger Reserve has been completely poached out of tigers.  

Panna is one of India's more notable and popular tiger refuges, and five years ago there were an estimate 35-40 cats there. Now there are zero. This meltdown is an exact replay of what happened in 2005 in Sariska Tiger Reserve in the neighboring state of Rajasthan, where poachers exterminated every cat right under the noses of wildlife officials, who proceeded to deny the catastrophe for months. And the same thing would have occurred in nearby Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve--India's most famous--were it not for the fearless efforts of Dharmendra Khandal and a cash-strapped NGO called Tiger Watch.

When I was in Rajasthan last November to report "Cat Fight" (in the June/July issue of ADVENTURE), I spoke with Ragu Chunduwat, one of India's leading tiger experts. Chunduwat worked for years in Panna, and when he first reported evidence of poaching to officials in 2004, they harassed him and finally drove him out of the park. "It's obvious there are no tigers left at all," he said last fall, "but they're still not admitting it. Denying it doesn't allow you to move forward." 

Panna is already engaged in reintroducing tigers from other reserves, but if Sariska is any example, no one is getting their hopes up. Officials couldn't be bothered to do DNA checks on the three tigers moved to Sariska, only to find out later that the trio are all siblings, which means a genetic dead end.

Look for this movie to replay itself over and over again in India. Last month federal officials acknowledged that the situation in up to 16 tiger reserves is "truly alarming." There are supposed to be 1,400 tigers left in India, more than any other country (there are only 3,000-plus left in the wild), but no one really believes that anymore.

You can donate to Tiger Watch here.

New Ruling Allows Oregon's Forests to Stay Wild

Text by Alyson Sheppard

In a surprise reversal of a Bush administration land management plan, the Interior Department is abandoning the Western Oregon Plan Revisions (WOPR), which would have allowed extensive logging of western Oregon.  The controversial plan left 2.6 million acres of property surrounding the Rogue River susceptible to commercial clear-cutting. Conservation groups have been fighting to safeguard this old-growth forest, carbon sink, wildlife haven, and outdoor sport sanctuary since the plan was solidified late last year. (The debate surrounding management of the Rogue is chronicled in the upcoming August/September issue of ADVENTURE.)

Read why Interior Secretary Ken Salazar called the plan "indefensible" here. Read how this will affect the struggling Oregon economy here.

Somali Pirates Update: U.S. Captain Rescued by Navy SEALS

Latest Updates

Sunday, 4/12 - U.S. Captain Richard Phillips has been rescued, thanks to a Navy sniper. Phillips is quoted saying: “I’m just the byline. The real heroes are the Navy, the Seals, those who have brought me home.” Read about the rescue in this article in the New York Times.

Friday, 4/10, 9:00 a.m. - Last night U.S. Captain Phillips reportedly jumped overboard from the life boat where Somali pirates were holding him hostage. Adrift in the Indian Ocean after running out of gas, the pirates have called for reinforcements. Meanwhile the FBI has solicited help from General Petraeus to send more warships to the scene. Read the New York Times story here.

Thursday, 4/9, 11:00 a.m. - The piracy saga off the coast of Somalia continues: While the crew of the Maersk Alabama is reportedly safe, its captain, Richard Phillips of Underhill, Vermont, is still being held by the pirates—though he may not be for much longer. According to this report from Reuters, the life boat the pirates commandeered after abandoning the container ship has run out of gas. The four pirates and the captain are apparently adrift on the Indian Ocean. Read more here.

 

Wednesday, 4/8, 3:00 p.m. - According to multiple news reports, the 20-man crew of the Maersk Alabama has regained control of the ship only hours after pirates boarded the vessel off the coast of Somalia. The hijacking marked the first time in 200 years that a ship flying an American flag had been seized by pirates. The ship's owner, Virginia-based Maersk, and the Pentagon have yet to confirm the reports, but it appears that the majority of the crew is now safe. The ship's captain, however, may still be under pirate control. Read more in this New York Times article.

Wednesday, 4/8, 11 a.m. - The Somali pirates have struck again! They took a Dutch contain ship yesterday with at least 20 American crewmembers. That's six boats in three days. They're the hardest working pirates on the high seas.

April is the cruelest month, except if you're a Somali pirate. The scourge of the high-seas went on a tear over the weekend, capturing five vessels in one 72-hour spree. And this despite a flotilla of warships from the United States, China, France, and India patrolling the Gulf of Aden, their usual hunting grounds. The bandits have gone further offshore in their small speedboats than the world's navies could have imagined, thanks to improved weather west of the Seychelles. Graeme Gibbon Brooks, managing director of Dryad Maritime Intelligence, told the Huffington Post that the military coalition is going to be "playing a cat-and-mouse game in the next six months." Until this spree, the pirates had been relatively quiet for the first quarter of 2009, with only five reported incidents of hijackings, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre. But with improved weather, plenty of booty, and a down market, piracy is looking pretty alright these days.

For more on modern piracy and globalization, read our feature "A Brief Trip to Pirate Island" by Alex Perry. 

Headliners: Adventure in 60 Seconds Election Edition!

A roundup of the latest adventure news, by Mindy Zacharjasz

Final showdown: This two-year, multi-stage ultra-marathon has challenged top endurance competitors in enough battles to K.O. Mike Tyson. Need a refresher? Now it’s down to two major contenders and the finish line is finally in sight, as is the much anticipated prize--the Presidency of the United States. In this special edition of Adventure in 60 Seconds, we turn our attention a few adventure-worthy tidbits of the Presidential election.

Some 39,000 raced in the New York City Marathon on Sunday and more than a few took the opportunity to show their politics, despite the sweat. And there’s never lack of creativity in campaign gear. Case in point: This year’s Barack Obama bike and Sarah Palin hockey puck.

It doesn’t matter if you’re red or blue, just vote green–-or at least that’s how some groups are trying to steer the vote. No doubt green issues and opinions are everywhere, and so are the campaign funding boosts by environmental, alternative energy, and coal mining groups. And of course there’s big oil which has contributed well more than $20 mill this go 'round. How will the next president really handle all of this, not to mention other talking points like global warming and terrorism? Time will tell, but here’s a physics lesson that one professor thinks could do just the trick.

And now for that election public service announcement you knew was coming: You can drive, walk, bike, or carpool, or travel in some adventure of your own, just make sure you get the polls Tuesday and vote.

Headliners: Adventure in 60 Seconds

A roundup of the latest adventure news, by Mindy Zacharjasz

Au revoir trains, bon jour…bird traffic? Swiss pilot Yves Rossy crossed the English Channel propelled by a self-designed jetpack strapped to his back after jumping out of a plane at 8,000 feet. How did “Fusionman”  steer his eight-foot wingspan the 22 miles from France to England? By moving his back and head, just like a bird.

Scott Jurek won his third consecutive Spartathon, an Athens to Sparta ultrarun founded in 1982 to tour athletes though the classic Greek route. The Minnesota native ran the 152.8 mile course in just 22 hours and 20 minutes, beating out the runner up by a full 2.5 hours.

Vatican City is making headway on its commitment to become carbon neutral : Workers began installing the first of 2,400 solar panels  to cover the papal audience hall roof, and polluting could become one of the seven modern deadly sins.

In need of some green entertainment? Caribbean musician Turtuga Blanku plays what he calls “sunshine music” – rock, reggae, pop fusion produced in his exclusively solar-powered Green Machine studio. Or, if you just want to get your green on, check out Rotterdam’s Club Watt, where dancer-generated kinetic energy powers the floor.

Headliners: Adventure in 60 Seconds

A roundup of the latest adventure news, by Mindy Zacharjasz

Talk about a killer paint job: Kayaker Wave Vidmar sets off on a 45-day expedition down the rugged California coastline where he plans to create a visual record of the state–-and kayak every recurrent great white shark attack spot in California. His secret weapon? A specially painted kayak that mimics lion fish to keep the great whites away.

As Greenland Icecap season winds down (though not before British and Venezuelan teams could notch some final crossings), Antarctic , Himalaya, and Everest expedition teams gear up for season. Couldn’t make the Everest roster this time around? Try out the newest thrill instead: Skydiving from top of the world.

New York to Everest-region flight alone emits about 2.73 tons of CO2–-that's just under Belize’s per capita carbon emissions for the year. But green up plans are always in the works: Algae-based biofuels startup Sapphire Energy got a Bill Gates-funded pick-me-up, a speedy solar taxi stopped in NYC on its worldwide tour, and a energy efficient 217 mph Japanese bullet train hopes be to be finalized by next year.

In the mean time, check out how top electronics companies stack up on the latest Greenpeace green thermometer. Nokia takes the goal, Nintendo fails big time, and the rest you’ll have to see for yourself.

News: Russia's "Man-Eating" Kamchatka Bears Face an Unsavory Fate

Text by Andrew Burmon

The summer snows on the Kamchatka Peninsula began to thaw last week just as the world press turned its spotlight on this oft-forgotten corner of Siberia. After the Russian news agency ITAR-Tass reported that two guards at the Koryakgeologia Mine near Khailino had been mauled to death by a rampaging gang of giant bears, the Associated Press picked up the story. Newspaper readers all over the world were left to gaze at the sordid headlines in bewilderment: Starving bears eat 2 men in Russia.

The articles could have been written by the Brothers Grimm. Thirty bears had surrounded Khailino and Korf, two sleepy hamlets where scared villagers refused to leave their homes. Viktor Leushkin, a  Khailino town elder voiced his concern that the bears had developed a taste for human blood and the government of the Kamchatka Krai province sent out a team of hunters and snipers to quell the ursine rebellion.

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