Tiger Conservation: Contingency History & Traffic

When the numbers fall and the home shrinks the extinction seems inevitable. Well, that is what exactly has happened to the tiger in India. One after another misfortune arrived, always hunted but never in extreme in the ancient times the downfall came surprisingly in the modern times right between us. The clock has started ticking right in our lifetimes..perhaps a bit earlier whence the Raj overcame us. 

Modern weapons, greed for timber, and pure bloodthirst were the reason for the big cat's beleaguered state. The ball had started rolling, spinning out of control, and since then never come to a stop. Large-scale tree felling and commercial plantation had started transforming unnaturally the profile of the carnivore's habitats all over the country. 

Those habitats today in a perfect state of preservation remained so because of being out of reach or being privileged enough to gain the status of royal hunting preserves - the shikargahs of the Maharajahs. Nevertheless, hunting continued recklessly, in fact when the Raj ended and the Maharajahs began to lose hold the local bigwigs duly took over to bring an end to a vermin and a vicious killer with haste. 

Hunting was the most indulged sport during the Raj with the rulers, nobles man and Maharajahs joining in the spree. Tigers were the prized target, and many were killed with royal aplomb...beyond sustenance, mercilessly...and as one author put pregnant tigress, cubs, and young all were slaughtered. The greatest decrease in the numbers was brought about by the bounty hunters during the Raj whence thousands of tigers and other predators were slaughtered mercilessly...cleansing the country of vermin for a few rupees in a decade.     

The unchecked human population implosion was another reason whence to meet the hunger needs of the ever-growing millions of large-scale tiger habitats were converted to fields. Commercial greed had never come to a halt and large-scale clear felling for valuable timber continued unabated.  

As far as hunting is concerned the rot stemmed whence in 1972 Wildlife Protection Act was legislated and Project Tiger came into the picture. From one hundred thousand tigers the number had plummeted to 1400 or less. Horrendous! 

Just when we thought that the mayhem was over another menace surfaced and the system under the spell of the recent success of Project Tiger was shell-shocked. A poaching mechanism comprising importers of animal parts (TCM) smugglers, some people of the department, and small-time but deadly hunters of yore was in the act surreptitiously.

Panna and Sariska were the eye-openers whence all the tigers in the conservation units were poached. Thankfully it was not too late and intense protection of the big cats came into the picture. Albeit such an incidence is unlikely to happen thanks to conservationists and wildlife managers and staff the leak continues. 

The poaching intent is for smuggling tiger parts to consumers of TCM etc in many countries. The nexus is deep and underground and continues to operate through actively pursued by the agencies and NGOs like  WPSI there seems to be no end. The emergence of recent trafficking reports carries a foreboding of doom. India ranks highest among the countries from where the trafficking of tiger parts takes place. This is suggestive of a leak and calls for revamping our protection and intelligence-gathering mechanism.     

Although body parts used for medicine are the most lucrative the number of tiger skins seized every year is frighteningly high. Most of the figures for seizures are consistent every year which indicates a modus operandi that has not been stemmed. 

In spite of encouraging census figures of recent counting in India, the dangers to our precious big cats loom large. How well will we be able to protect the dwindling species is a question that we should ask ourselves? Will constructive efforts and sound policies continue to fetch the species out of red? 

The pride of India needs National Support a strong political will and conservation management that up till now has been exhilarating.  In all National, Endeavours public plays an important role we the people should do whatever we can to Save The Tiger!
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Uday freelances as a naturalist/birder and loves to write about conservation.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
9755089323

Gory Killings Nature At Work

Whence herbivores are killed by predators it cannot always be a scene picked from a National Geography wildlife serial. Some of the moments could be heart-wrenching, agonizing, and strikingly painful experiences. The pathos such incidents generate is difficult to contain what with emotions streaking through the over-awed mind. 

While tigers and leopards are efficient hunting machines causing swift death, predators like the wild dog and jackals are not. The charge is often a series of fumbled attacks that end up mauling and scaring the terrified prey. The resultant attacks lead to torture misery and painful death sometimes taking a long time.          

I observed a jackal attack on two occasions on a tiger safari in April. The first one was a single jackal in a meadow that managed to pick out the flesh from the cheeks and eyes of a terrified fawn. Agonized to the extreme the helpless fawn bleeding and weakened stood up its ground but to no avail. In a series of charges, the jackal could succeed in an awkward kill as other deer watched haplessly.   

The scene was heart-wrenching many in the crowd had closed their eyes, and some simply left the scene. The end was agonizingly slow but the predator succeeded in availing food. 

The second incidence was at the edge of the forest where two jackals had managed to rip open the stomach cavity, and the entrails were hanging loose. It was indeed a gory event and certainly not for the weak hearts. The animal eventually succumbed and became a meal for the jackals followed by crows and vultures. All was over in a short time.  

Though the events are described here as gory this is the way nature works. In almost all the events the death is painfully slow there is an inbuilt death mechanism amongst the prey but sometimes it does not work. 

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Jackals by nature are omnivorous animals but whence there is a preponderance of prey they develop the instinct and capability to kill the small ones. 

Tiger Ambush & Chase - Hunting

With Margaret & Georges France

Guests Courtyard House Kanha
  

Tiger Hunting Deer Video - Uday Patel
Kanha National Park in India

She must have arrived at predawn in the grassland and had settled down unseen. Whence we saw her she was safely ensconced in between the grass and could hardly be seen. We stayed there admiring the big cat in sylvan surroundings and serene settings that the forests are popular for. The rising sun had lit the strands of grass here and there creating an awe-striking splendor. 

We must have waited for some time observing the tigress taking a peek at deer in and around preparing for the kill. This continued for some time till there was a rustle amongst the bushes across the road. Swiftly she turned around and vanished into a grassy patch behind, right opposite the deer preparing to cross the road. We could not see her at all. Where was she?     

Ambush & Chase     

Suspense mounted as the deer (fawn + doe) slowly edged towards probably where the tigress was waiting. The camouflage was incredible as the big cat lay flat on her belly without a whisker being shaken. Tigers can sit incredibly silent and still for a very long time in wait for their prey and this is what the female was doing. She must be in the range of 130 to 150 kg weight and fully grown. 

The black stripes and yellow must be aiding her due to pattern disruption making her invisible in the meadow. The camouflage is remarkable and many times it is difficult for the prey to sight the predator. The body contours fit well in the terrain completely engulfing the animal, this is a unique feature and makes tigers stand out from other predators. Stealth and surprise are the key aspects of hunting and survival.       

The deer had yet not seen her and were a few feet away totally unaware of death waiting ahead.  The fawn was following a few steps behind the doe.  

It happened within a flick of the second as the tigress lunged at the fawn totally taken by surprise and fear. Rolling on its digit the big cat closed on the fawn covering a distance of about thirty feet. The move was effortless and strikingly fast. Upon nearing the fawn she struck at the tiny leg making him lose balance. Thus grounded she pierced her canines and broke the vertebrae of the prey. 

I could hear the heart-wrenching sound of the fawn as it struck the ground. But mercifully it was all over in seconds. In nature, death strikes fast due to a shock mechanism thus reducing the suffering.

In the same movement, the tigress gripped the fawn and was on her way to the cubs. She had come near to our jeep as it happened in few seconds and we could not reverse.  What was really surprising the big cat had not run out of breath and was moving swiftly probably towards her cubs. 

Dual Mode of Hunting 

The female had not only used an ambush but also chased the prey exhibiting how the tigers hunt in the wild. The patience exhibited was remarkable and the ground chosen to hide showed how experienced the animal was.     

Damocles Sword: Challenging the Conservation Ethos

License to Kill 

It hardly seems true that badly ravaged and plundered ecosystems in India support abundance of wildlife, anymore.  Well according to the government this is true somewhere in some States. Hence the permission for legal culling of  abundant species is on the table. 

Our five thousand year (plus) cultural heritage which boasts of conservation ethos ranging from the Vedas to the non violent concepts of preservation of life have proved to be ineffective as far as human greed for wealth, especially in the contemporary times whence economic prosperity is of greater concern.

The  malafide addition due legalising this murderous assault on species well below the sustenance level in India is giving rise to lust for killing. Though the honourable have reasoned that this is being done to protect crops from damage hence boost economic growth.      

Taking advantage of this largess, it is alleged that the lustful are killing with glee even in premises where hunting has not been legalised.  

Wildlife in India is already under severe survival stress from rabid industrial growth, resulting pollution, unchecked human settlements, unplanned urbanisation and rapid deforestation. Though we are discussing about the contemporary era, Indian ecosystems have been ravaged since thousands of years, more so since the beginning of the Raj. The wildlife has been continuously decimated resulting in critical existence of many species and extinction of some.        

Barely subdued, the lust for killing by the wildlife protection act and awareness, the legalization may renew the fervour of the big and small and open up new vistas of hunting illegally under the umbrella of the law.

To worsen the matter the demand for animal parts internationally is posing severe threat to rare species. Rampant poaching is taking place in this country in neglected areas not forgetting the sordid incidences in the protected areas during this decade.

The sharp retort from Menaka Gandhi (within the ruling government) who is erudite in matter of conservation took the environment ministry with surprise. Well "overzealous" is what the ministers and bureaucrats usually think of such reactions and most of the sane conservation voices are hence subdued.

It is for the people enmasse to react to every ill advised policy, especially if it is published with populist desires. Wildlife in India is doomed till saner policies and proactive protection measures are put in place. Public should come into picture before it is too late.        

Indian Wildlife - Dead encounters

As a child I was fascinated with the natural world. The birds and butterflies and some insects,  small  mammals and reptiles were part of our premises. Jackals, civet cats, fox and occasionally a Hyena or Leopard? would leave a tell tale sign in the night. These were my first introduction to nature. The house abounded  in wild trees  - left over remainders of forest that was taken over by early colonizers.

I grew up in natural environment in locality at a distance from Jabalpur in green suburbs. Narmada Road was then sparsely populated with greenery the hall mark and forest patches still intact in the surroundings. Urbanization had not taken place and few houses and couple of villages habituated the area. Jabalpur is situated in Central India or Madhya Pradesh.

My first sight of the Indian tiger was a dead one. It was shot by shikaris from Mumbai whence hunting was open. The license fee was perhaps  not more than hundred rupees for a tiger and less for other unfortunate mammals. The hunting blocks were all around Jabalpur.  The male tiger was shot at Nauradehi Wild Life Preserve in block called Amahpani. It was a piteous site, the animal was skinned right in front of us. Parts of its body including fat were eagerly picked up by locals for supposedly medicinal properties. I do not remember what happened to its claws. 

My first sighting of a leopard was a dead one. The leopard was shot few km away from our house by a local shikari who lived nearby. The Mumbai hunting party then fetched another leopard cub, shot by their Swiss guests on machaan ...mercilessly butchered with random bullet shots all over the body. Another vermin dead....

I once accompanied this hunting party whence we came across a doe at night in Mandla forest division. We were spared from the fright of gunfire and extreme guilt of killing an innocent animal. The shikari accompanying us on jeep was dead asleep, after an orgy of binge drinking and gluttony he was in no position to shoot. This was my first encounter with a spotted deer in the wild. The shikari slept with head leaning on the gun barrel...who cared.     

Then scores of animal arrived, sambar, chital, hare and what not...Mercifully all that organized hunting stopped whence legislation came into the effect.          

The neighborhood teemed with wild animals all around Jabalpur District also in Katni, Mandla and Sihora to name a few. All that is gone, some patches still hold small life and spotted deer which are entirely at mercy of humans. But in spite of the law, many influential people continued to shoot and the numbers began to decrease. Hunting by tribals and local hunters continued unabated as it happens often now. 

Subsequently large tract of forest became devoid of tigers, leopards and Indian wildlife. Jabalpur and its surrounding districts suffered heavy loss of wildlife and forest belts. In small numbers, deer and leopards still survive (perhaps tigers as well) but precariously since hunters still loom large. Most of the deer species have died out here but animals like wild boar still survive. These are the prime targets of illegal hunters and poachers now.

The diminutive beat guard is helpless figure over shadowed by Goonda and Political Raj. He is a witness to poaching and wood logging, the latter on daily basis. Who stops all this frankly.. I do not know...Pardon my ignorance.

Of a thousand tiger dead

Recently I came across a book on shikar tales by an acclaimed hunter of the past? India's past is rich  in natural wealth and hence tigers and wildlife, unfortunately it reeks of awful destruction and plunder that the country went through not only through the barbaric invaders and British Raj? But through our own as well.

The legendary shikari (Not Jim Corbett) narrates his accounts of bravado of shooting tigers in most difficult circumstances and succeeding (Sic!). He describes tiger shoots or hunts as an art without guilt, but  more so with incredible passion...that which belies that this country lives under the shadow of Vedic teachings  that shows utmost respect to nature. His account of tiger shoots is devastating to our generation and unfolds the saga of massive destruction that took place in the past.

The Shikari portrays himself as a legend and unwittingly as an insouciant pig of the British Regalia and the pleasure seeking Maharajahs. Dressed in British code, he narrates accounts of arranging shoots of the innocent animal for the Rulers and the Maharajahs! He narrates with shameless pride the accolades that followed - Brought me fame and fortune(Sic). 

On one hand while half naked fakir (Bapu) and other patriotic elements were fighting for India's freedom this man was totality ignorant of the country's subjugation under a foreign civilization. And so were many insouciant Maharajahs...many of whom hold a place of pride in Independent India. From the accounts...this masterpiece of senseless destruction...it is evident...of the kind of support that the Rulers got from within.  

In order to please the Rulers and satiate the pride of the Maharajahs, thousands of tigers were poached ..ruthlessly...mercilessly...males, females....cubs...females with cubs...pregnant tigresses...     

His account of behavioral characteristic of tigers at best is comical, a man more adapt in the art of setting the machaan and ruthless murder of innocent animal could not be a field biologist...he appears more like a butcher.

What is disheartening of now...from the accounts is the abundance of tigers in all forested regions ...now sadly gone. The animal and other life forms are still reeling under the threat of destruction from more immediate urgency.  Perhaps the coming generation will read this blog entry and decry us for not doing enough to save the tiger, hence nature. They will target at us, same ire that I and many conservationist are doing at the moment.

Whence the Rulers left and Maharajahs lost dominance the Brown Sahibs took over and the rest is history. 

From the above lines it is obvious that I am certainly not targeting any Nationality or ethnicity, my anger is more on historical times that were steeped in ignorance. It is more at why understanding did not prevail in spite of the preachings of Vedas...that our life depends upon existence of nature inviolate.    

No one including the Rulers would have let loose such destruction that prevailed if ignorance was overtaken timely. By the time the urgency dawned upon Jim Corbett and many others it was too late. 

Today the place of shikaris have been taken over by the poachers, not for ignorant pride or insouciance, but for monetary greed. The World watches helplessly as the beginning of the end nears. We miss in all sincerity our late Prime Minister Indraji more so now...the tables would have turned in favor of the beleaguered life forms by now.

Pl.Note*

The Government in India is doing its bit to conserve nature.  There are many individuals and organizations involved actively in conservation of species in India and from other countries but it appears to be a loosing battle. God give them strength!  

Jago re! India Jago re!