By Madan G Singh

A few days back at the Byculla zoo, Mumbai a 55 year old elephant Laxmi caught hold of an intruder in its enclosure by her trunk and smashed him against the wall. The man died but it is a moot point what was the man doing in the enclosure of the elephant.

I along with friend of mine ventured to the zoo at Mumbai the scene of the accident and had a look at the elephant. I found she had been chained and was nodding her head from side to side. I wondered if it was a punishment for killing the man who had needled her. I was told by my friend who is a vet that 40% of captive elephants exhibit this behavior due to boredom and stress. Denied its natural habitat of mud and water the elephant is prone to such actions. Another point that emerged in my mind is the effect on children when they see animals kept in such cruel conditions. It cannot be healthy.

Apart from the elephant the big cats like the tigers, lions and panthers also suffer from being caged. The lack of natural water, forest and space can severely inhibit these big cats. These animals are also stressed and as they are unable to speak they must perforce suffer this confinement.It is not only the big cats but the monkeys, bear, barking deer and snakes are not any better off.

A look at the monkey's enclosure will probably make you realize that they just sit there with a glazed look. The trees inside are sawed off and the natural area of jumping and playing are severely restricted. Having no trees to play around robs a monkey of its instincts.

Snakes kept in glass cages are also prone to suffer injury by repeatedly banging their heads against the glass walls. All in all keeping animals in cages for the amusement of the children and other visitors cannot have a healthy effect on the mind.

There is thus a need for some drastic action. Zoos like the Byculla zoo and similar zoos all over the world need to be immediately shut down. In India there is no dearth of wild life parks and sanctuaries. It will be in the interest of conservation of wild life, in case these animals are transferred to such sanctuaries. Keeping a lion or tiger or a rhino in a sanctuary or wild life park is a better option than a cage in a zoo.

In case required zoos imitating natural habitats can be set up outside the city, but zoos like the one at Byculla need to be closed forthwith. An excellent example of a zoo is the one at Delhi which to an extant has duplicated the natural environment and the animals are better off. The London zoo is also a good example.

By Tanny Gupta

Rudyard Kipling once described this land as primal jungle and Jim Corbett loved to travel the length and breadth of this land fearlessly. This is Corbett National Park (CNP), a splendid place supporting a vast reservoir of wildlife. This park has the honour of first national park of the country. It was so declared in 1936 as Hailey National Park & later renamed in the honour of legendary hunter-turned animal lover Jim Corbett. It is situated in the foothills of western Himalayas in the districts of Nainital and Pauri Garhwal in the newly carved out state of Uttaranchal and this wildlife heaven is reserved for adventure loving and tough people.

We arrived at Rampur, about 7-8 hours away from National capital Delhi, in the afternoon full of anticipations. The permit to visit and stay in CNP are issued here. We got our reservations for Dhikala rest house which is located centrally and is infact houses the forests department. Near the entry point, we took our lunch and entered the CNP through Amdanda gate. Our rest house at Dhikala was approximately 30 kms from the gate along a narrow metalled road. The landscape of the park was mesmerising and this place exuded the charm of ancient primitive era. We saw a few vehicles parked on the kucha road near the main road. I jumped with excitement of seeing something wild and saw a group of elephants comfortably munching on grass of size equal to their heights. This was my first encounter with the Indian giants. They seemed indifferent to our presence. This apparent callousness of elephants about homo sapiens does not augur well for these giants as this made poacher's work very easy. By an estimate, their population is 300 in the park area.

We removed ahead and saw a signboard about Indian gharial and saw a few gharials taking sun-bath on the banks of river Ramganga. Ramganga and its streams vivisect the land into numerous ridge and ravines. This landscape is perfect habitat for the growth and survival of tiger, leopard, bear et al. We were looking for the big cat "tiger". About 90 (as per 1984 estimate) big cats inhabit this area and are very reserved creatures. Only lucky people can have a glimpse of this magnificent creature.

Next morning, we were ready to see the virtual rawness and beauty of this mysterious land covering an area of 1319sq. kms. The area of the park is increased with the inclusion of Sonanadi wildlife sanctuary. Our guide 'Arshad' a bearded old age veteran of this jungle assured us about tiger sighting. It is compulsory to take a guide with you and walking is strictly prohibited in the park. We decided to go towards Khinnanauli's and Sarpduli rest houses. We come across a herd of spotted deer, chital, which ran ahead of our jeep. I saw a lone barking deer, jackal, otters running for fish in the waters of Ramganga. Since it was early morning and a light drizzle had just finished, there was freshness, fragrance and coolness in the air and this was the time of hectic activity. Our guide asked to stop the jeep as there was a "call". It is a warning signal given by animals like langur sitting on trees about a roaming tiger so others can run to their safety. We waited in anticipation for half an hour but nothing happened. Interestingly, this park has a healthy population of leopards. Both tigers and leopards prowl in the night and leopard manage to survive. There are documented instances of tigers killing and eating a mature leopard. On a muddy trail, we saw fresh pugmarks of a tiger and scanned the whole area for its presence. Chance and luck plays the role in case of tiger sighting in the wild as tigers here avoid humans unlike Ranthambore where tigers show indifference towards humans.

CNP has immense variety of wild life. About 50 species of mammals viz tiger, leopards, leopard cats, jungle cat, fishing cat, jackal, Indian wild dog - dhole, porcupine, civet, otter, mangoose, barking deer, ghoral etc. , 580 birds species viz king vulture, eagles, kingfishers, etc. & 25 species of reptiles including crocodile gharial, crocodile, cobra, krait etc inhabit the park. It sustains a very significant ecosystem and is thus ecologically, socially and environmentally very important.

Near Sarpduli, we come across a herd of female elephants, a lonely seemingly pregnant jackal and vast variety of birds inhabiting bushes. I have not seen such a vast variety of small birds at a single point and has surpassed even Bird's paradise 'Bhartpur' in Rajasthan, in the number of avian species. Very few people are aware of this fact and the entire focus is always on the big creatures like tiger et al. For next two days, we scanned all parts of the park to get a glimpse of tiger and though saw a variety of mammals, reptiles and birds including rare king vulture, big cats remained elusive.

It is a privilege to visit this primal jungle and taste its raw beauty. This park remains closed from June 15 to November 15 for general public. A large number of rest houses are available in the area namely Dhikala, Khinnanauli, Sarpduli, etc.

Title:-Corbett national park-ultimate wildlife refuge.

By Taba Ajum

Shy, elusive and always in herds, this is the best way to describe the majestic wild animals of India. Different types of wild animals are found in various forests, national parks and wild life sanctuaries. The diversity and variety of wild animals found in India is something which is matchless. There are around 96 national parks and over 500 wild life sanctuaries spread all over the country. Jim Corbett national park located in the foothills of Himalaya is the first national park to be set up in the country. India is home to many endangered species like Asiatic lion, Royal Bengal tiger, Barasingha and few more. It houses around eighty percent of the one horned rhinoceros of world.

India has many exotic wild life tour destinations for the visitors to look out. From Himalayas to the southern state, each region of country hosts varied type of animals. Himalayan region which is abundant with dense forests has large presence of wild animals. This region is rich in flora and fauna and there is so much of diversity. Unlike Africa, the terrain and lifestyle of India is such that, most wild animals often prefer to live in groups and away from human vegetation. Tourists can visit India in any season to experience the wild animals but there are some particular time when they can be viewed best specially the migratory birds. India's wild life sanctuaries are the best place to witness the most exquisite type of wild animals. The tourists visiting India have the option of trying out different types of wild life tour.

Types of Wild Life Tour

National Parks & Wildlife Sanctuary Tours of India
India has around 90 national parks spread across the country. As per the area and its geographical feature, these national parks give ample opportunities to the visitors to experience wild animals from very close quarter. The best thing about these national park is that animal live in their wild best. Jim Corbett, the first national park to be set up in country, is one of the most popular wild life reserve of India. This park offers a great chance to the visitors to the sight tiger at their wild best.

There are many other national parks like Ranthambore, Gir, Kaziranga, Kanha, Sunderbans, Bandipur and many more, which are always teemed with wild life lovers. Kaziranga national park located in Assam is famous for being home to one horned rhinoceros. While Gir national park which is located in Gujarat houses endangered Asiatic Lion. As visitors venture into these unknown territory, there are many surprises which await them.

Bird Watching Tour
Bird watching is something which is inexpensive and satisfying. India which is home to large number of wild bird species, is the ideal destination for bird watching tour. There are around 1200 (roughly 13 % of world) different species of birds which are found in India which include some migrants. India's varied vegetation and geography is responsible for such variation in the population of birds. There are various bird sanctuaries where visitors can view birds. Other than this the natural forests area also offers good chance to sight birds.

Bharatpur bird sanctuary, located in Rajasthan, is the most popular bird sanctuary. This 29 sq-km wildlife park has around 300 different species of birds and is the second habitat in world to welcome Siberian cranes during winter. Tourists from all over world flock into this sanctuary to watch both indigenous and migratory birds. Some other famous bird sanctuaries are located in Kumarakom, Chilka Lake, Sultanpur. Himalayan region is quite popular to go for bird watching. Visitors can enjoy the natural beauty of region and in the serene atmosphere they can sight some stunning species of birds.

Elephant Safari Tour
Elephant safari take visitors to those tough terrain which cannot be covered by vehicles. As these elephants slowly and steadily move around, tourists sitting atop can have a good view of the animals and their way of life. In India, elephant safaris in Himalayan regions and Periyar area of Kerala are very popular. Elephant safari in north and north east regions which lie under the Himalaya can be great option to explore the area. Visitors can go for sighting tiger in the Corbett national park sitting on these elephants. Kaziranga national park in Assam offers a great experience of elephant safari. One horned rhino can be best viewed while in the elephant safari.

Periyar wild life sanctuary in Kerala is the most famous hub of elephant safari in the country. It is also the safest elephant sanctuary possibly in the world as elephants have never attacked human here. Moving around on this elephant, visitors can have the best of the Periyar wild life sanctuary.

Tiger tour
Tiger, the national animal of India, is the most majestic and attractive of all. For some strange reason tiger, for centuries has been the favourite of animal lovers from across the world. The killing of tigers by the poachers and hunters have considerably reduced its population. But coming up of various national parks and wild life sanctuaries across country had led to the increase in the population of this wonderful animal. Today India houses half of the world's tiger population. Indian tigers are known as Bengal or Royal Bengal tiger. It is endangered, charismatic and most powerful among all the cats.

Tiger tour in India will cover some of the most stunning wild life sanctuaries and national parks. Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Sariska are some of the prominent national parks where visitors can spot tigers in their wild best. Bandhavgarh and Kanha national park are best place to sight tigers in the wild. Even during the day tiger can be spotted roaming around in the park. Jim Corbett national park is another park which is popular among the tiger lovers. Project tiger, the ambitious conservation plan of government to save tiger was started from here in the year 1973. This park located in the foothills of Himalaya in Uttranchal attracts large number of tiger lovers from across the globe. Visitors can take a jeep or elephant safari to catch the majestic tiger. Seeing tiger from a close quarter will become the part of your memory through out the life.

By Dhiraj Bandurkar

The award winning Cameron Park natural-habitat zoo in Waco, Texas provides visitors with an opportunity to see wild animals in state-of-the art, free-form surroundings and progressive display areas.

The Cameron Park Zoo is home to tortoises from the Galapagos Islands, Africa birds, and other animals from across the globe. The Herpetarium is the perfect habitat for reptiles like crocodiles, as well as spiders and plants.

Guests can explore Cameron Park Zoo with their experienced tour guides. These tours help visitors develop an understanding of wildlife, their habitats, as well as conservation efforts.

Kids of all ages have a blast at Cameron Park Zoo thanks to the play areas, which feature wooden bridges, a fountain to cool off in and a tree house that provides a bird's eye view of the entire zoo.

The Brazos River Country exhibit is new to Cameron Park Zoo. This fascinating exhibit allows visitors to follow in the footsteps of early Spanish explorers who searched for the 7 cities of gold along the Brazos River. Each area of the exhibit represents one of the 7 habitats of plant and animal life that can be found along the 840-mile stretch of the mighty Brazos River.

Special animals that are found at the Cameron Park Zoo include the White-Handed Gibbons, African Lions, Sumatran Tigers, African Elephants, Aruba Island Rattlesnake, White Rhinoceros, Reticulated Giraffe, Ringtail Lemurs, Blue Eyed Back Lemur, Red Ruffed Lemur, and Kori Bustard.

Texas' Cameron Park Zoo is also very active in conservation. The Species Survival Plan (SSP) is a program that works to help insure the survival of selected wildlife species. The Species Survival Plan started in 1981 as a cooperative population management and conservation program for selected species in zoos and aquariums across North America. The American Zoo and Aquarium.

The hours of Cameron Park Zoo are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Cameron zoo is open year-round, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day (as well as the last Friday and Saturday of June). Admission is $5 for adults; $3 for children 4 years to 12 years, and $4.50 for senior citizens (60+ years). Children 3 and under are admitted free.

By Phenom Bade

1411 - That is the number of tigers still alive in India. This is just the official number. According to Environment & Forest Minister Mr. Jairam Ramesh, this number is exaggerated, the actual number being about 1000 and diminishing every day. These tigers are being poached & their skin is being sold. This is not a problem only in India but in other Asian countries like China & Malaysia as well. If this goes on this "beautiful beast" will soon disappear from the face of the earth.

The tiger, being the national animal of India, and also is worshipped in some states in India. There was a recent issue where a tiger was poached by one of the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh for INR 1 Lakh, a place where it was worshiped.

The tiger can be trailed in many National Parks of India like Ranthambhore National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, Kanha National Park, Jim Corbett National Park, The Sunderbans of Kolkata, etc. These parks are open a certain part of the year & the rest of the year they are closed for tiger counting which is becoming lesser by the day.

If you want to trail this elusive striped jungle cat, then you can follow a trail through the National Parks of India. You can start from the north of India with the Jim Corbett Park, which is in the recently formed state of Uttarakhand. Named in honor of the legendary hunter-turned- conservationist, best known for hunting man-eating tigers and leopards, this National Park extends over an area of more than 500 sq kms in the Himalayan foothills. Other than the tiger, the other animals found in Corbett include, the elephant, chital, sambar, nilgai, gharial, King Cobra, muntjac, wild boar, hedgehog, common musk shrew, flying fox, Indian Pangolin, and nearly 600 species of birds.

Corbett has been a haunt for tourists and wildlife lovers for a long time. Tourism activity is only allowed in selected areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve so that people get an opportunity to see its splendid landscape and the diverse wildlife. The Jim Corbett National Park is a heaven for the adventure seeker and wildlife adventure lovers. Corbett National Park is India's first national park which comprises 520.8 km2. area of hills, riverine belts, marshy depressions, grass lands and large lake. The elevation ranges from 1,300 feet to 4,000 feet. Winter nights in Corbett national park are cold but the days are bright and sunny. It rains from July to September. You can enjoy one of the tiger safaris here & get a chance to see the beautiful Bengal Tiger along with the other species of the different animals residing here. Corbett National Park is situated about 300 kms from New Delhi, which is the nearest airport & about 55 kms from Ramnagar, which is the nearest railway station. You can start from New Delhi / Ramnagar & hire a vehicle to Jim Corbett National Park. Mostly the vehicles that take you for a safari are either a Jeep or a Canter. A jeep usually is a 06 seater one & a canter seats about 20 passengers.

From Jim Corbett National Park, you can return back to Delhi and take a train to Sawai Madhopur to visit the Ranthambhore National Park. The Ranthambhore National Park is considered as one of the famous and former hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur and today the terrain is major wildlife tourist attraction spot that has pulled the attention of many wildlife photographers and lovers in this destination.

Ranthambhore National Park is spread over an area of 1,334 sq km along with its nearby sanctuaries like - the Mansingh Sanctuary and the Kaila Devi Sanctuary. The park is one of the best locations in India to see the majestic predators in its natural habitat. The tigers can be easily spotted even during the day time busy at their ordinary quest- hunting and taking proper care of their young ones. The park is one of India's Project Tiger reserves

A good time to visit Ranthambore National park is in November and May when the nature of the dry deciduous forests makes sightings common. There are lodges & resorts close to the park where one can stay while their visit to the Park. Here to one can enjoy the different safaris for tiger sightings as well as other fauna like leopard, nilgai, dhole, wild boar, sambar, hyena, sloth bear and chital. It is also home to wide variety of trees, plants, birds and reptiles. Ranthambore is also the site for one of the largest banyan trees in India.

In 2005, there were 26 tigers living in Ranthambhore. This was significantly lower than the recorded tiger population of the reserve in 1982, which then stood at 44. This saddens the heart to see that the numbers are quickly reducing due to poaching. The authorities have become stricter now. In 2005, the Rajasthan and the Indian government set up high powered committees to look into the state of Ranthambhore and to suggest measures to improve the situation. This put the spotlight back on Ranthambore and the tiger crisis in India and since then the forest and the police department intensified the protection around the tiger reserve. Since then there have been no reports of poaching from around Ranthambore and a large number of tiger cubs were born between the summer of 2005 and the summer of 2006.

From Ranthambhore you can go onward to the Bandhavgarh National Park by catching a train via Agra to Umaria. Bandhavgarh National Park is spread at Vindhya Hills in Madhya Pradesh. Bandhavgarh National Park consists of a core area of 105 sq km and a buffer area of approximately 400 sq km of topography varies between steep ridges, undulating, forest and open meadows. The density of the Tiger population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India. Bandhavgarh National Park was the former hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa and at present is a famous natural hub for White Tigers. White Tigers, now a major attraction around the world's zoos, were first discovered in Rewa, not far from here.

Other than the tigers the wildlife here includes gaur (Indian bison), sloth bear, leopard, porcupine, wild boar, sambhar and spotted deer, among others. The ideal season for tiger spotting is from November to June.

From Bandhavgarh, visit the Kanha National Park which is located in the same state of Madhya Pradesh. Kanha National park is located in Banjar and Halon valleys in the Mandla / Balaghat districts. It is spread more than 940 sq km in a horse shoe shaped valley bound by the spurs of the Mekal range the park presents a varies topography.

Kanha national park is more famous for its wildlife; the natural beauty of its landscape is just as fascinating. One of the best locations to enjoy that bounty is Bammi Dadar, also known as the sunset point. The lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines of Kanha provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel "Jungle Book.

Kanha also shelters one of the largest populations of the tigers in the country (131 tigers as on June 2006). Some of the other larger animal species found in the park are sloth bear, leopard, striped hyena, spotted dear, wild boar, jungle cat, jackal and a variety of monkeys. Over 200 spices of birds have been spotted in the park.

Though India had a large population of tigers, the number is speedily decreasing everyday due to poaching of its precious skin. It is sad to see that parks like Jim Corbett are now used for entertainment like weddings, bike races & rain dances. Also some tribals in Arunachal Pradesh kill the same tigers they worship for money. Is this what mankind is turning to?

Before this beautiful, graceful & magnificent beast disappears from the face to the earth soon, its time WE DO SOMETHING.

SAVE THE TIGER NOW!!

By John Watson

In 2001, Nigel Marven, the courageous naturalist, traveled far and wide in his 'Big Cat Adventure' program to research the big cats. They are classified as big cats because they can roar. They can also frighten the life out of you!

The big cats are the leopard, snow leopard, jaguar, lion and tiger. They are five out of the 38 sub species of cats. Nigel tracked down the leopards and tigers and even walked unarmed towards a pride of hungry lions to prove the power of a self-confident human.

Nigel stated his mission clearly:

"In my most daring adventure so far I'll confront the world biggest cats to see just how I measure up."

The program started with Nigel playing with some three month old Siberian tigers. He likes to play and have fun with the animals that he studies. He really enjoys being with them. A key success skill is to try to have fun in everything you do.

Nigel is never content with a distant look at the animals he loves to study:

"I want to get close to lions to see just how magnificent they are. There are five giant cats in the world. A cheetah isn't one of them since they can purr when they breathe in and when they breathe out. The big cats can only purr when they breathe out but they can roar."

He first visited leopard country in Africa. Leopards are brilliant climbers and even go up trees to look for prey. They can also drag heavy prey into the trees to keep the meat away from other predators like hyenas.

The males are as heavy as Nigel - about 200 pounds - and can measure nine feet from head to tail. Nigel soon saw a 'stunningly beautiful' leopardess and later a male leopard which was much bigger and more powerful.

The leopard was followed by an amorous female which did the chasing. However, the male tried to control the act of mating by biting the fold of flesh and fur on her neck.

She let him know that she found this uncomfortable but over the next day or so he would probably mate with her about one hundred times to make sure they have children.

The elusive snow leopard which lives high in the mountains of central Asia was seen in a zoo in France by Nigel. As man of high standards, Nigel regarded this as cheating. Some scientists don't accept the snow leopard as a big cat because it has never been known to roar.

The jaguar looks like a leopard with larger circles on its fur but it is the third largest cat and can be found in central and southern America. Jaguars love the water and will fish for anything including caymen and even big anancondas.

The second largest cat is the lion. Lions grow to four times the size of the spotted cats. Nigel went to a reserve near Kruger National park to see if he could scare off a pride of lions. Jerry, a game warden, needed to dart a big lioness to change her radio collar.

They went out at night. Jerry played a tape of buffalo calls to attract the lioness and a dead zebra was laid out to keep the pride occupied.

They soon turned up and Jerry quickly darted the lioness that he was after. A darted lion may be attacked by the rest of the pride so they need to be scared away.

Guess who had volunteered for the job although he had second thoughts when he noticed a male lion which reminded him of the lions which had terrorised railway workers in East Africa.

About 140 workers were killed in just nine months by two males just like the one in this pride. However, Nigel believed the following:

"If you approach wild lions confidently enough, they shouldn't attack a standing person. This is the time to test the theory. My heart is in my mouth. This is a pride of adult lions."

Nigel approached with nothing but a torch in his hand. His 'heart and every internal organ' was in his mouth. The pride ran off except for a male which kept watching from a distance.

The darted lioness weighed nearly 400 pounds - more than two of Nigel. He got close to her and compared his size with hers.

He next stood around in a group of young male lions who were looking at him with suspicion. He was so close to them that he was whacked by a lion's tail but he was still not content with this heart thumping experience.

He wanted to get close to a conscious and fully grown lion. He did so with the assistance of a local, Kevin Richardson, who seemed on friendly terms with an adult male called Napoleon. Nigel reached out his right arm to stroke the lion's head. The lion growled and Nigel commented with his usual understatement:

"I'm a bit frightened by this!"

He was more successful, for a time, when he patted the lion on its back.

Kevin told him to watch out for the lion's paws. "Their paws are so quick"

"Their claws are like meat hooks", said Nigel

At one point, the lion stuck his dew claw in Nigel's leg and was biting him. Napoleon did not seem too fond of Nigel but Kevin rescued him and showed him how tall the lion was by holding up a pole with some meat attached for the lion to reach up to. They can be 7 feet long with a 3 foot tail and weigh a quarter of a ton.

But the second biggest cat of all is the Bengal tiger which can be found in India. Nigel looked forward to meeting one:

"For me it is like meeting royalty. The tiger must be the most majestic and charismatic of all the predators."

Nigel traveled to the center of India, to the area that gave Rudyard Kipling the inspiration for The Jungle book. The Disney cartoon musical impressed Nigel as a boy:

"That cartoon with those memorable songs inspired me too. I really wanted to be Mowgli. All the animal characters are here. Singing vultures were Mowgli's friends... the langar monkey is still king of the swingers... remember Kaa the python and those hypnotic eyes... Baloo was a sloth bear... and here's Colonel Hathi the elephant ... spotted deer are a favourite prey of the jungle's top predator - that's what I am after - Shere Khan, the Bengal Tiger."

Nigel, unusually, opted for a safe approach to Shere Khan. He was ten feet off the ground on an elephant. However, tigers have been known to attack both humans and elephants.

At one point he was so excited to see a rat snake that he jumped off the elephant, even though tigers had recently been seen in the area, to examine it more closely. Excitement, like several powerful emotions, can cancel out fear.

Soon after that, he and Vishnu, the mahout or elephant driver, spotted a Bengal tiger cub which was about ten months old:

"The way they move; they just glide. He's going to join his brother or sister. Tigers are superlative hunters. Even cubs of this age spend most of their time pouncing and stalking.

"Their mother won't be far. She will stay with them for two years or so. They catch their own prey at about one and a half years old. There are only about six thousand tigers left in the world and half of those are found in India."

They then spotted the tigress mother of the cubs. She had killed a deer.

"She looks big but Shere Khan will be one and a half times her size."

She fed her two cubs and then moved off with them into the tall grass

They then fed the elephant with some dates and he and several other elephants had a bath. Nigel bathed with them, as you would expect, and even dived into the water off the back of one of them. Typically, he had fun.

On the last day of his visit to India, Nigel made an offering to the local gods to see a male Bengal tiger. His prayers were answered.

They set out early and soon heard roaring in the distance. Male tigers roar more than the females. The jungle was full of alarm calls as animals warned each other of the approach of Shere Khan.

Then they spotted a male Bengal but could not get a close look. However, the elephant followed him and eventually they had a good view:

"At last I am just a few feet away from a big male Bengal tiger. He probably weighs 500 pounds. That's two and a half of me. He's about ten years old. They can get to about fifteen years old in the wild.

"What a powerful animal. This is Shere Khan. This is what we've been trying to see. A male Bengal tiger looks huge but there is another rare and very elusive sub species that grows even bigger and that is what I want to see next and you will not believe the difference in their environments."

Nigel then moved to Russia to see the biggest cat of all - the Siberian tiger. Unlike the Bengal Tiger, the Siberian Tiger rarely attacks humans but it has sometimes been known to kill and eat black bears and even brown bears.

Nigel came first to Moscow and then flew east to Vladivostok. It was so cold that when he threw boiling water into the air it froze in mid air

He headed north to a reserve by the sea of Japan. This reserve covers 1500 square miles. There were about thirty Siberian tigers somewhere in there. To find one Nigel would need experts with high tech radio tracking gear.

They picked up a signal from the tigress but did not get close enough to see it. They did, however, smell a tiger's urine on a tree:

"As piddle goes it smells quite nice!" commented Nigel who sees the positives in every situation.

While they were tracking it a male tiger had killed a dog in a local town. It was now classified as a conflict tiger and would be shot unless it could be chased away into the heart of the reserve.

They soon spotted it from a helicopter:

"There he is! He's just ahead of us. If we go in low, the helicopter should scare him away. He is so magnificent Even from up here he looks like a giant. This is the Siberian tiger in its natural habitat. That is a magnificent animal."

Nigel still wanted to see a tiger from the ground. He was given permission to look for tigers on a smaller reserve and set out. His search was successful and he came across a male and a female eating a deer in the snow:

"I can hear them licking the carcase. They grab their prey by the throat and throttle them. It's minus thirty degrees but I don't feel cold at all when you see things like this. This is such a magnificent sight and it is a rare sight.

"There are about three or four hundred Siberian tigers but they are still poached. I cannot believe how any one could shoot creatures as magnificent as this.

"They have eaten quite a lot of that deer now and I am worried that they are going to start paying attention to me. So I am going to leave them to finish their meal. But this is something I am never going to forget.

"Mission accomplished. I've seen all five big cats, travelled thousands of miles and used up several of my nine lives to look straight into the eyes of the world's most glorious predators."

There are several survival and success lessons that can be learned from Nigel and the animals he studies.

You achieve more when you are having fun. Nigel always makes time to play with the animals he studies.

Nigel always wants more. He chased a female leopard for quite a way but was not content. He wanted to see a male leopard. Wanting more success leads to more success. Most of us are too easily satisfied with pennies when we could have pounds.

The leopard, himself, provided a great example of thoroughly sowing the seed and then allowing nature to work. Too many of us sow a few seeds or take just a few steps towards our goals and then get in our own way by looking for results before they are ready to arrive.

Nigel demonstrated the power of confidence to intimidate even a pride of lions who are in the middle of their meal. Confidence can achieve miracles. Who would have believed that one rather worried looking man could put a group of lions to flight? We all need to believe in our own power much more than we do.

Use excitement or any strong emotion to cancel out fear. If you are attacked, allow your anger to clear your mind of fear and help you to fight back.

We should let our childhood passions motivate us just as 'The Jungle Book' motivated Nigel to seek out Shere Khan.

Prayer worked in the search for Shere Khan. Prayer is often underestimated and it often fails to work perhaps because people pray half heartedly and with only a faint hope of receiving an answer. We need to pray with an attitude of excited anticipation. We need to expect results.

One success leads to another success and each success increases your powers. Nigel went from confronting big cats in 2001 to confronting big alligators in 2002. He actually stuck his head in an alligator's mouth in 2002.

Success usually involves doing what you plan to do whatever else happens. Nigel seems to do this every time. His determination to follow his plans also attracts the assistance of others. He never stops half way and will travel miles to achieve his goals. With him, it is always: "Mission accomplished."

Many people are unwilling to put in the hard work necessary to learn more. Nigel, on the other hand is willing to put in the sweat equity needed to learn all he can about the animals he studies. His huge enthusiasm for nature gives him the energy to study and become a top student of animal behaviour.

In the UK thousands of would be drivers are paying other people to take their driving tests for them. They then go out driving without having learned how. They are nine times more likely to kill themselves and others than those who have taken the time and trouble to learn how to drive. Learning anything worthwhile involves some kind of sweat.

A cat has just sauntered past my window. Fortunately, it is not one of the big cats!

By Gautam Chatterjea

Tiger tales keep doing the rounds among the community living in villages around the largest mangrove rainforests in the world -- the Sunderbans. To the villagers the big cat is 'Dakhin Rai', a sobriquet for the mighty lord of the jungles, uttered with reverence and fear. The tiger and the community in the deltaic island forests, interspersed by innumerable streams, cohabit in a love hate relationship. When the striped beauty strikes, the villagers mourn the deceased and curse the animal; and the tiger hates man knowing that the two-legged animal around its domain is the fiercest of all predators. So, it uses its cunning to take it one-up on him as opportunities present itself.

The big cat was omnipresent all over Bengal not too far away in the past. When Calcutta was being created as a trading post in the 17th century by the East India Company, the striped cat's domain would include the woods in the peripheries of the city and it would come visiting the courtyards of nearby hamlets after dusk, all too often.

The beauty of the beast however surpasses its cunning. The Bengal tiger in its typical environment at Sunderbans is a magnificent animal with a slightly redish-yellow coat than the ochre-yellow look on its counterparts in other reserves of India. In its natural home at Sunderban, it has the largest concentration with about 249 animals by the last authenticated UN Tiger census 2004. Its grace and majestic strides in the undergrowth of the thick rainforest would hardly have any contest to the claim of 'Sultan of the Jungle' and as the national animal of the country.

Sunderban gets its name from the abundance of 'sundari' trees [Heritiera fomes] in the region. It is spread over the largest delta in the world shared between India and neighbouring Bangladesh. The Indian tiger reserve spreads over 2,500 sq. km. across 54 islands interspersed by innumerable large and small rivulets and offers a distinctly hospitable biosphere for the tiger compared to other inland tiger reserves. Sunderban was declared a world heritage site in 1997 by UNESCO.

Unlike the inland locations where the tiger usually is the supreme predator in its domain, the tiger at Sunderban has to compete with large deadly Crocks in the water, which it has to continuously cross within the individual territories. And the adjustment between the two fierce rivals is, surprisingly respectful. Both revere one another and confrontations are rare.

It was mid January and I was accompanying a small group of eight backpackers from Europe to the area. The tour was customised to address the visitor's needs of jungle adventure as well as gain insights on indigenous community life through cultural immersion programme.

We travelled from Kolkata by road first and then took a motor-launch through the Matla River to an island camp near Sajnekhali. Jungle expeditions and folk culture programmes were planned at the camp and community interactions at the surrounding villages were in the itinerary too. I would be the interpreter and facilitator on the community interface.

The boat cruises through the web of rivulets over the first two days during the stay was unrewarding as far as spotting of the big cat was concerned. After all, the animal isn't ever trusting of the human. However it could be imagined with a fair degree of certainty that during our errands many of the striped Sultans would have kept a watchful eye on us but it wouldn't reveal its presence. Our team however sighted large bevy of spotted deer and drift of wild boars, the main prey of the tiger occasionally, alongside wonderful birds and other animals.

Crocodiles scattered around the banks basking in the morning sun was a regular sight. They would quickly slip into the water the moment our boat came at close distance. To think of the dozens of these big-jaw reptiles now swimming under the vessel as we passed by, in itself was an eerie feeling.

On the third day after the morning fog lifted, we took a country boat trip to a neighbouring island village for the foreign visitors to have a hands-on experience of the community life of the inhabitants. As we settled in the hold of the boat, I asked the boatman if he knew of the presence of any tiger around that we could spot during this short journey. He appeared a bit tensed and offered a nonchalantly reply, 'the same old story Sir, last night Hiru a youth was taken away from his boat by the tiger, after he fell asleep.' All this happened at a place close to the camp we stayed. So the tiger was in the backyard, yet none could sense it, not even the victim.

That's the cunning of the beast. It would patiently stalk, keep the human target in sight until he drops his guard and then stealthily pounce and make a swift getaway before others could react. And the low-frame open country boat is certainly not a safe place to retire even in mid-stream after it is dark. The animal despite its size would silently swim through the water, leap into the boat light-footed, and make a swift kill. Indeed its scheming is incredible.

This is the typical style of the Sunderban tiger's hunting tact as against its peers in other tiger reserves of the country. In Ranthambore or Kanha for instance, the forest reserves are surrounded by human habitats and there are roads passing through them. The predominance of human activity along these corridors push the tiger deeper into the forest and the big cat is always wary of the man rather than making a prey of him. These inland tigers would rather chase its prey full steam and pull it down.

Conversely, the large tiger population of Sunderban each confined to individual island territories, have adapted to the typical conditions and find men on foot trespassing their territory a less painstaking and easier kill than an exhaustive chase of a sprinting deer. However it shouldn't be construed that the Sunderban tiger is a compulsive man-eater. The tiger here, by natural instinct picks its prey from the many animals in the bushes. It is only the silly mistakes of man that makes him the occasional victim.

Hiru's body was not found but the tiger footprints confirmed he was carried into the bushes may be a few kilometres away. The striped Sultan can carry its kill to great distance with élan, to feed undisturbed in the undergrowth.

We reach the village in less than twenty minutes, passing through a web of streams locally called 'khola'. This was a large settlement in one of the delta islands. Our local facilitator was waiting on the shores to take us to the community elders. He had already briefed the villagers about the purpose of our visit and had arranged a few homes where our visitors could interface in their daily life. Our European visitors were excited with the idea of having a day with these welcoming villagers and experience their way of life up close.

The first curious encounter they had was with a group of males each of who wore a mask of a human face at the back of their heads. They were honey gatherers walking in a row towards the deeper woodlands. It was an amusing sight of men marching ahead wearing big-eyed masks ogling at you from rear of their heads. This, we explained to the visiting group was a way to trick the big cat into believing that it was being watched by all the men if it attempts to stealthily stalk them from the rear. Most times in the battle of nerves between the cat and humans, the cat breaks off the trail. Sometimes the cat emerges smarter and there is someone who is killed or mauled.

As it is, many of these settlements have fewer men against women population. People here have to make a living out of the forests or the river, collecting honey or catching fish. Both these professions are fraught with danger to life. Frequent casualties happen either by being prey to the tiger or the Crock in the river. The settlement we were visiting now had as many as 300 widows, having lost their spouses to either of these foes or to diseases or hurricanes in the sea.

There is a tradition of worshipping the 'Bon Bibi', or the forest goddess by the womenfolk here. Each season when their men enter the forest to gather honey, the wives would perform special oblation to appease the goddess so that their men return safe. And in a show of expiation, they would also take on temporary widowhood till their men actually returned. That's the way of life when human and animals have to share a nature domain.

Despite the compulsions of man to sustain in an environment of nature conservation, I believe there is a positive side to it. The majesty of the Bengal tiger although considered a threat to their existence by the locals, is in effect a direct check on the wilful onslaught of nature by unconcerned people. Consider it this way; the threat of the tiger in the jungle and the Crocks in the river has been the major discouragement for the communities living here from deforesting the area and expanding human activities. And the clear upshot is -- advantage conservation.

Tiger poaching in Sunderban has never been a matter of deep concern since the elusive beast is always hard to get at in the difficult terrain of the deltaic forests. Yet, wood plundering was a growing threat on conservation of this eco system. Happily in recent years there has been alternative livelihood for these people connected to eco tourism in the area. The initiative of private players involving communities here to set up green tourism facilities has become a good option for the poor indigenous people to eke out their living. Sunderban now is a wonderful location to enjoy in the real sense of eco tourism.

By Klaus Rosmanitz

Some animals and plants in our world are very common, like houseflies, cats or daisies. They are not in danger of dying out. Other species are very rare. Sometimes only a few of them are left. Such species may disappear forever.

Ever since life on earth began, animals and plants have died out and new ones have appeared. Dinosaurs, for example, roamed the planet during the earth's middle ages. 65 million years ago they disappeared forever.

Animals and plants need each other to survive. They keep the world of nature in balance. If a certain plant dies out some animals may become extinct too, because they depend on the plant for food.

Why species become extinct

Long ago, most animals and plants became extinct because of natural events, like earthquakes or volcano eruptions. Climatic changes, like the beginning of the Ice Age, also led to the disappearance of certain species. Today, plants and animals are in danger mostly because of human beings.

Some plants and animals can survive in many areas. When they move to other places they adapt to their new environment very quickly. Others can only live in certain areas. We call such a living place a habitat. If a habitat is destroyed the species cannot find any more food or a place to live, sleep or have babies. So it dies out.

Habitats can be destroyed in many ways. More and more people live in our world. They need more space to live in. Rainforests, grasslands and other parts of nature are cleared and people start to settle there. They take away the natural home of plants and animals.

Pollution can also kill off certain species. Acid rain from factories goes down in rivers and lakes and can poison fish there.

The most endangered areas are the tropical rainforests. More than 50 % of all animals and plants live there. Every day, thousands of acres of rainforest are destroyed and many species become extinct every day.

Ever since man appeared on earth he has killed animals and gathered plants. They have been used for food, medicine, clothes and to make homes. Cheetahs, tigers and other wild cats have been killed for their skins. Whales have been hunted for centuries because of their oil and blubber.

Most animals today are protected by international law, but many, like the black rhinoceros and the African elephant are hunted illegally. Some species, like wolves, have been killed by humans because they were seen as a danger to farm animals.

Sometimes native animals become endangered when a new species comes to live in a place. Foxes were brought to Australia to kill off rabbits, which were seen as a pest. But instead of killing rabbits, the foxes killed kangaroos and other marsupials of Australia.

Parasites belong to the greatest threats to plants and animals. Tiny organisms, bacteria and fungi can destroy trees, kill birds and fish.

Protection

People have hurt plants and animals but they are also willing to help them survive. All over the world organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, the Rainforest Action Network or Friends of the Earth are helping to protect habitats. They raise money for their projects and make governments and the public listen to them. New laws have also been made to protect endangered plants and animals all over the world.

Endangered animals

* African and Indian elephants are killed for their tusks which are used for ivory earrings and other a art objects
* The giant panda lives in zoos and in some parts of China. There are only about 1,500 left in the world today.
* Reptiles (lizards, crocodiles and alligators) are killed for their skins. People make leather handbags and shoes.
* Sea turtles are in danger because people often collect their eggs. They often die in the sea because of water pollution.
* There are only about five thousand tigers left in the world today. They live in southern Asia, mostly in national reserves.
* The bald eagle is the national symbol of the USA. The bird almost died out at the beginning of the century, but today the population is stable.


Endangered plants

* For centuries the Bermuda cedar was cut down because people needed material for houses and furniture. Conservationists have helped protect the trees that are left.
* Some cactus types are in danger of becoming extinct because they grow slowly and are hurt by animals.


The World Wildlife Fund

In 1960, biologist Sir Julian Huxley returned from a research trip to Africa. He was very much shocked by what he had seen there: the hunting of rare animals and the destruction of their habitat. Other scientists shared his opinion that something had to be done about this. The following year Huxley, some fellow scientists and a few politicians founded the World Wildlife Fund. It became the largest conservation group in the world.

Today the WWF has 5 million supporters around the world. It has national organisations in more than 50 countries and raises more than 100 million dollars a year.

The most important task of the WWF is to protect endangered species around the world. Among them are the tiger, whale, elephant and many others. The giant panda, one of the most endangered animals, has become the WWF logo.

The WWF also tries to protect habitats like the tropical rainforest. In the past decade alone, it has been able to conserve over 1 billion acres of forest in Asia, South America and Africa.

The organisation fights against the pollution of natural resources and it is worried about the destruction of fish in the world's oceans.

Over the past years the WWF has been working on projects in over one hundred countries. It also gives money to research work and spends a lot to teach children and parents about our world in danger.

By Brian Chambers

What does Coca Cola, Walmart, Macdonald's and GE do that the LPGA is not doing? Can the LPGA learn from the big boys and girls?

The answer to the first question is that these corporations have recognized the power and potential of the global economy and have set up shop in China, for example. Asia is not only a source of highly competitive production, it is also a burgeoning marketplace with millions of new white collar consumers coming into the economy each year.

The LPGA has assumed that its market exists solely within the borders of the United States.Despite the fact that it now has tournaments in Korea, Europe, Canada, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore, Mexico, China and Japan. Over one third of its schedule now exists outside the United States.

Don't brag about being a world tour, and not-so-privately gripe that the rest of the world is coming to play. The LPGA model is simply too America-centric. The Tour needs to step back and begin to appreciate where the growth opportunities lie.

Let me provide you with a couple of examples. Greg Norman's golf course design company, Great White Shark Enterprises, is bidding on 20 golf courses projects in China alone. The reason? The market for new golf courses developments in the US has virtually dried up completely. The other reason? China alone is increasing in new players at the rate of 50% a year. It is projected to have 26 million players by 2020. This is more than the current total of players in the USA.

The second example is Annika Sorenstam whose fledgling design company is banking their future, as well, on China and other locales throughout Asia.The future for world economic recovery is projected to be led by the Asian Tigers such as India, China and South Korea. That recovery will jumpstart the moribund US economy, not the other way around (Economist).

Sorenstam and the Shark are but two of a host of other US based entrepreneurs who are banking their company's futures on an offshore recovery.

An important wild card for the growth of the game would be golf's inclusion in a future Olympic Games.This would be a huge boost for the growth of the game worldwide. There would be an immediate investment in new courses, golf tourist travel and international competition not to mention an immediate upsurge in the number of new players, young and old, coming into the sport.

If you are in the business of golf, the smart money will be migrating to the new growth areas of China, India and the rest of Asia. A professional golf business model that doesn't embrace this tsunami of growth will be left behind. In fact, we may soon see the day when US based sponsors are routinely outbid in the LPGA marketplace.

Even now the largest source of TV revenue for the LPGA comes, not from the USA, but from Korea. This trend is likely to continue in all aspects of the Tour's marketplace.

This is why I have maintained that the talk of Korean players on Tour has been, at best, a bogus distraction and, at the very least, a total misapprehension of where the future of womens professional golf resides.

The criticism of the Koreans, in particular, has been petty. Anyone close to the Tour knows that these Asian players are just as committed to the long term health of the womens tour. A group of 47 Korean LPGA members held a news conference in July in Ohio to stress their support for the Tour and their willingness to do whatever is necessary to help.

Players such as Inbee Park have been quick to give back. She donated $50,000 to the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program following her US Open win. Recently, a contingent of Korean players volunteered at the Ronald Macdonald House in Toledo during the Jamie Farr Tournament and then raised $13,570 for the house the same week. Another group of 9 Korean players volunteered their time to Habitat for Humanity. I don't see too many Wall Street brokers lining up to volunteer to give back to their communities!

The resounding message from the Ohio meeting was that the Korean players "Want the US fans to know them better." Hell these are a bunch of teenagers and twenty somethings thousands of miles from home in a totally strange environment. Surely, the US golfing community can open its arms to welcome them to this great country. Golf, and the people who play and follow it, has been a classy sport. I am confident that the fans will embrace the game's best players irrespective of where they were or will be born. The future of the game truly depends on it.

By Terrie Taylor

The National zoo in Washington DC was home to a rare white tiger named Mohini, which, translated means Enchantress. She lived there for many years. Most of those years she was housed in the old lion house. Her quarters consisted of a 12 foot by 12 foot cage with iron bars and a cement floor. Most of the time she paced, restlessly back and forth in the cage. Then the zoo created a natural habitat for her. It was several acres large and resembled a tiger's natural environment with plants, trees and a pond.

The zoo caretakers were excited to release Mohini into her new home. They thought she would be very happy. But, sadly, Mohini did not respond as expected. She was so conditioned to be in a confined space that she did not know how to live any other way. She chose a corner of the habitat and lived the rest of her life pacing in the corner. She wore a 12 foot by 12 foot area bare of the grass.

Are you living your life in a cage? A cubicle? Do you feel like there are bars on the windows of your office?

Most of us are conditioned to live our lives within the confines that others place on us or the restrictions that we place on ourselves.

Please don't live in your cage for so long that you forget how to live free or loose the ability to enjoy freedom.

True freedom comes from being in charge of your own life. One way to be in charge of your life is to be in charge of your income. According to Robert Kiyosaki a person must be in business for themselves to achieve true wealth. Explore the possibilities of self employment.