Save me

The tiger, one of the most magnificent animals in the world, is also one of the most endangered. A cat of beauty, strength, and majesty, the tiger is master of all and subject to none -- except humans. Of the eight original subspecies of tigers, three have become extinct within the last 60 years; and there are less than 50 South China tigers left on this planet -- few, and possibly none, survive in the wild.

There are five different kinds or subspecies of tiger alive in the world today. These tigers are called Siberian, South China, Indochinese, Bengal, and Sumatran. Their Latin name is Panthera tigris. Tigers are an endangered species; only about 1411 tigers are left in India.

Poachers are continuing to exterminate the world's remaining Tigers. New demand across Southeast Asia for the skins, teeth and claws of tigers is endangering much of the great cats, particularly the Sumatran tiger. Currently, the demand for Tiger parts is centered in several parts of Asia where there is a strong market for traditional medicines made from items like tiger bone and body parts. Volumes are sizeable and there has been little enforcement action against poachers and traders

What Needs to be Done to Save the Tiger:
- Local institutions and people Scientists who were closely involved in managing tigers at the local level, Hemendra Panwar of India and Hemanta Mishra of Nepal, pointed out an important lesson more than a decade ago: unless local community needs are met, conservation of the tiger will not succeed and protected areas will perish. Therefore, conservation programmes

must reconcile the interests of people and tigers. In most situations, a sustainable tiger conservation strategy cannot be achieved without the full participation and collective action of individual rural households whose livelihoods depend on rights of access and use of the forests where tigers live.

- Technologies for conservation of resources There already exists a wide range of technologies and practices in forest and watershed management and agriculture, both traditional and new, for conservation of resources. The biological processes that regenerate forests and make agriculture less damaging to tiger habitats take time to become established

- Use of external institutions Institutions, such as NGOs, government departments, and banks, can facilitate processes by which local people develop their sense of ownership and commitment. When little effort is made to build local skills, interest, and capacity, people have no interest or stake in maintaining structures or practices once the incentives for conservation stop. Success hinges on people’s participation in planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, which leads to the formation of new institutions or the strengthening of existing ones

- Conservation of tiger habitat and of prey In many areas peripheral to tiger habitat, grazing lands for livestock have been converted to crops or degraded by excessive use; livestock is of poor quality and of poor productivity; wood for fuel and building has been exhausted; and sources of income are limited. The rehabilitation of the natural resource base of local people is essential if they are not to seek their requirements in protected areas. This requires ecodevelopment with the support and cooperation of specialized government organs and the non-governmental conservation community

Trekking Sinhagad

I am writing this review based on my previous visit to singhgad
fort. (As a Puneite I am a regular visitor of this fort).Almost every sunday..

The climb starts before sunrise. It is about one and half hour climb. You reach the top have breaksfast (local food) then start descending. Reach the foot of the fort by 10 am. Reach home by 11am and spend your holiday as you wish. Visiting Sinhagad Time to visit: Any time of the year be it summer, winter or rains Distance from Pune : 26 kms. Height :approx 700-800mts (only) How to reach the fort: Obviously reach Pune first. From Pune station or better would be to reach the Swargate ST stand. There are many city buses that ply from Swargate ST stand. The city buses take you to the sinhagad gaon (village). For Tourist : There are many options to reach the top of Sinhagad fort via TumTum(ie share rickshwas). Dept of tourism has a bus going(I have never travelled..But I know it is there). Pvt vehicles, jeeps and blah blah..There is absolutely no problem in reaching the fort. You need not take the pains of climbing the fort. There is a tar road right upto the top. For trekkers : Reach the ’’paytha’’ or the foot of the fort. The paytha is accessible via the sinhagad village. It is around 25-30 mins walk to the ’’paytha’’ from the village. Once you reach the paytha ..then..then go ahead start climbing. You can climb during day, during night (chandani raat mein) anytime. If you decide to start early in the morning the best would be to stay overnight at the hotels in the sinhagad gaon. If you really want to trek, then you should consider trekking Sinhgad via Katraj (the seven mountain trek. this is again another subject). History : The fort was conquered by Tanaji Malasure on behalf of Raje Shivaji. (It is very interesting to read about the battle and the way it was conquered. I will not write about it in this.) On the top to see : Dev Take - famous tank with sweet and cold water. Tanaji’s samadhi on the fort. The tower of Doordarshan is also there on Sinhagad. You can see the Panshet, Khadakwasla and Varasgaon dams and Torana fort also. To add to it The view of entire Pune city looks splendid.Warning : Do not carry foodwhen you visit sinhagad. If you do so you will be missing on the taste of the Maharashtrian village deliacy. You may carry water with you. Once you reach the top there is a cool water tank on the fort. People keep visiting sinhgad fort for the scenic beauty, but more so for the food. There are many huts of the villagers on the top of the fort. They prepare garam garam jhunka-bhakari (jowar roti and besan and sabji sort of) with thecha and also Kanda bhaji (onion pakora) with thecha(red chillies mashed) . If you are non vegeterian then you can order full gavran chicken(spicy hot chicken) for around 200 rs. Then there is special matka dahi and butthermilk prepared by the local village maids.