Tiger Conservation: Forest Fires

 Simlipal Forest Fires 

And no Nero did not fiddle! 

In the case of tiger conservation, there could be no romantic opprobrium associated. There was sufficient action to quell the fire by the State forest machinery. The raging fires consumed a large portion of wilderness crucial for the survival of diversity in the State of Odisha in India. 

Whenever calamity strikes whether it is the wrath of nature or man-made, it is the flora and fauna that suffer the most. This applies to our tiger reserves as well, and it takes a toll on the big cats besides other critically endangered species.  Road/rail accidents, electrocution, traps, man-made fires, encroachments, poaching, habitat destruction, spatial development needs all are the new normal post hunting ban and the damage is tangible stress on ecosystems and the wilderness within.    

The ignition could have been due to a natural event or man-made...the latter cause is not a big surprise. The big cats are in a perpetual state of conflict with humanity - not their making - around our tiger reserves where most of the associated species thrive. In fact, these are the last refuge of the big cats created in order to provide a home to them wherein all other animals and the ecosystem as a whole benefited.  The tiger reserves are scalable testing models which have managed to stem the rot and the recent increase in dwindling tiger population is vindictive. The concept is a success and the inviolate core is beyond any scope of human interventions except to save the species. But these are at present limited to as islands of hope without scalability being planned at all.      

The cause of forest fire at Simplipal is attributed to a climatic disorder where excessive dry weather prevailed throughout last year and in February this year causing the forest to ignite. The forest could have been subjected to sabotage at this vulnerable period.

Global warming has already started to take a heavy toll on life including that of us. Subtle changes are more likely to go unnoticed as that caused by global warming more so when the life form in news is the tiger or another endangered species on brink of extinction. Natural disturbances are promptly noticed whence the sufferers are humans. We live in a human-dominated World...in a place called Earth where all life forms have the right to live with dignity.     

Though notified as National Animal of India, and valued as indicator species the pride exists only on papers or within the tired souls of few committed politicians, conservationists, and our wildlife managers desperately trying to accord a new lease of life to the predator. This does not mean that the tiger is not on the list of priorities on the National Scale but the implementation of conservation initiatives depends upon multiple layers of functionaries and concerned administrations. In the present state swift implementation of schemes and initiatives is crucial to bring forth tangible success.      

The devastating fires are also an indicator of the gruesome new normal that the tiger faces in this fast-developing economy. It is relegated down the ladder of importance in the National Scheme of things especially whence infrastructure development and urbanization is concerned. And the very people who justify this relegation equivocally or unequivocally are the biggest thorn in the conservation of species. This state of ambiguity is creating a perplexing order as far as the state of National priorities are concerned and often some actions suggest that the big cats are way down the ladder.  

While India creates schemes and programs to save the tiger and conservationists and wildlife managers strive hard to achieve the objectives there are truckloads of detractors in this country.

The delay or disparage in implementing conservative initiatives is because of lack of conviction or rather an absolute disregard for wilderness in India. The detractors fail to connect the existence of things crucial for our survival as an existential reality. It could be due to pure ignorance or due to overpowering greed where economic turnaround that results in local wealth creation is at the center of things and nothing else. For them, wildlife conservation and preservation is a romantic intent without any logic and purely habitual elite proclivity. 

In this fray are not only the crooked vile political powerhouses, the detractors comprise some NGOs, self-centered businesses, few industry giants, disenchanted forest staff, wood loggers, and of course the local goons and many with ill intent. These form the invisible nexus...the immediate or peripheral layer which is a hindrance to conservation initiatives in our tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, and National Parks. They manifest themselves in many ways especially by being complicit in wildlife crimes, illegal land grabs, and mafia behind the exploitation of natural resources. Some incite the locals against the scheme of things and make them inadvertent protesters without reasoning.  Their activities are detrimental to conservation especially in the case of tiger reserves.         

Although the ruling dispensations have been implementing laws and schemes for the conservation of our National Heritage, the implementation at State and ground level can be wanting. The conflicts we witness can be due to the disparaging attitude of detractors. Among so many factors that come into play, this breed of people is the thorns that manage to impact conservation efforts negatively. They are the silent killers who slowly and surely are acting against the concept of wildlife conservation in India.        

===========================

Uday Works as Freelance Naturalist and Blogs on conservation, tigers, environmental issues.

He also provides SEO and Website Contents in English. He teaches Digital Marketing in Jabalpur in Summers.

He can be contacted at:

Mail: pateluday90@hotmail.com
 Mob: 09755089323

Tiger Poaching is Not Man Animal Conflict. It is Crime

Poaching is a heinous crime that is not a man-animal conflict and, this misconception has to be correctly implanted in society. Snaring, electrocution, and poisoning, all are done on the pretext of poaching for the small game thus mitigating the enormity of the crime in the public view. I do not know if any possible leniency accrues from the legal framework as such. Or is it labeled as small game poaching to address the culpability of sentinel in a more acceptable manner?  What can we do?      

Tiger

The recent snaring of a young tigress in the buffer zone of Kanha National Park adds up to another heinous crime against the beleaguered predator. Snaring is unimaginably painful and gruesome. Poaching in the buffer zones is a regular occurrence albeit the span between is reassuring but at the same time, it lulls the setup into complacency. These incidents keep on happening infrequently and some may go unnoticed by the public eye. For the death of the tiger is sometimes kept in a veil of secrecy for reasons unknown or simply to ward off public pressure.  

After every tiger poaching, there is some noise but like every crime, the act is soon forgotten. We are famous for forgetting even gruesome crimes that belie human sensibility whence precious life is concerned. We suffer from a weak memory. Although every life and every life form is precious, nonreversible incidence like the killing of big cats means the extinction of the species. Our National Animal can be killed so easily is a startling fact.        

The vast spread of our jungles and the humanity that prevails in between is an excuse enough for those in charge of the protected areas to get away. And the legal provisions are so shallow that every murderer gets bail and the case drags on and on. Though punitive measures cannot come into consideration until the act is proven but there can be some prevalent signs or logic that can come into play of the possibility of crime weighing down on the person assumed to be the culprit. Something that prevents outright bail. 

In such instances, bail is a clear getaway or escape from the grip of the law. The legal lacunae and skillful advocacy and delayed criminal proceedings are further attenuated by corruption in the courts and the clog that is present regarding the humongous number of cases is an encouragement for die-hard criminals or in this context the poachers. This criminal indulgence in tiger killing in India does not instill fear of punitive measures and its repeated occurrence is assured.            

The punitive sentence awarded is also not enough...poaching a tiger leads to jail for eleven years or so. And the indictment is rare. Why do we not consider the killing of rare and endangered megafauna on par with the murder of humans? Are we so biased against other life forms?  Not only this we continue to damage our environment through irrational resource utilization and management. And then we complain of climate instability.  

If we can be so sagacious in legislating the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 then we can consider this as well. A strong punitive measure should be in place for killing endangered species.   

Indian Conservation Ethos

We are powered by the past in conservation our fabulous Vedic civilization outshines all global ethos in according sanctity to all life forms and nature as a whole. We consider vital elements of nature as holy or sanctimonious why not the tiger or the leopard or the elephant? Is it because of past abundance and hence the lack of importance of these species? This could be true and so is the truth that we fear changing Holy sanctions even if they are not rational anymore. Things need to change with time and the prevalence of facts in the contemporary without fear of Holy wrath. Every Indian carries the ethos of the Vedic civilization within, howsoever shallow in some instances.      

The killing of big cats in India will continue unmitigated unless strongly discouraging punitive measures are put into the act.            

===========================

Uday Works as Freelance Naturalist and Blogs on conservation, tigers, and environmental issues.

He also provides SEO and Website Content in English. He teaches Digital Marketing in Jabalpur in the summer.

He can be contacted at:

Mail: pateluday90@hotmail.com
 Mob: 09755089323

             

An Elephant Brutality Killed

Om Ganesh Namah! 

A perfect ode to a beloved God. For every new startup Ganesha is the first deity to be praised. The almighty sports an elephant head. How and Why? Is it a myth or factual, and that perhaps it is timeless as well? 

Nevertheless Hinduism is a belief that collectively reveres all aspect of nature ... the philosophical aspects are deep and the believers are not animists. More and more...we are realizing that nature's love and preservation is essential for our survival.     

It is the word all-encompassing that describes the World, does not it? So the belief is a holistic science, I wish to inform readers before they began to get trapped in false conjectures. It is simple science that all life forms and elements on Earth are interconnected and by praising the Lord in any form...by this, we acknowledge reverence to his creation. This applies to animals too and hence veneration of the lovely creatures in some form or the other. I do not imply that all should follow, for it is each to his or her own belief. 

Brutal Elephant Killing or Murder?

In a district of Kerala, an Indian State a wild elephant cow hungry and pregnant came into the human abode seeking nourishment. For a wild animal accepting the proximity of humans is because of distress as well as due to trust. All she received was a handful of fruits laden with explosives. Was this accidental? No Way! Fruits do not contain firecrackers they were deliberately placed or rather fed to her with the intention to kill. She stood in the water at a nearby pond suffering pain and unbearable agony due to the heinous deed of the civilized.  With her mouth and perhaps innards badly damaged she was beyond recovery an early death could have saved her from the agonizing pain. 

She stood still in a stupor after the shock of the explosion inside her!        

Of Punitive Measures! 

The uproar was justified and still continues and will continue till the culprits are punished for this gory crime. But this also reminds us of how we treat other life forms on Earth. We are brutal towards wild animals, especially whence threat perception overtakes our sanity. Our legislations ignore wild animals or takes them lightly, there are no punitive measures harsh enough that could discourage these inhuman deeds. The law should be unrelenting over such deeds and yes implemented with vigor. 

Our Fear & Human Insensitivity & Vedas

People feel threatened in the vicinity of these creatures, and our beliefs is shaped by the vermin concept and total disregard for them. This is in spite of the Vedic ethos that was part of our evolving civilization and nurtures us since birth. There is a lot of emphasis in Vedic Literature on conservation and the best way to carry forward this message is to denote life forms and natural elements as holy or worthy of respect and hence should be preserved. Some find this illogical?   

Yes, human sensitivity should not ignore other life forms we care for ourselves. For our threat perception, there is a mechanism in place to deal with any violence that could be a result of a possible or real-time attack.  We are evolving mechanisms to capture the animals alive in case they come to our vicinity. We now have snake handlers, animal catchers, professional vets, tranquilizers, nets, and cages that incarcerate the temporarily till they are released in their homes. And we have the forest department trained to look after the forest and wild animals. But there is a point here too. 

Where Do They Go?

What about the homes of the wild animals we are encroaching with rabid speed... the environs that support other life forms. So where do they go? They are hard-pressed often to enter urban surroundings and then this is the treatment we accord to them. Sic!

Almost every day tigers, bears, snakes, and other animals are becoming victims of human greed and empathy. This seems to be a never-ending phenomenon.  Not only animals...we are destroying our green lungs, the precious ecosystems that support life on Earth.  Unimaginable acreage of forests is being lost to human greed. And then we complain about global warming and pandemics.

Reap As You Sow!
=======================================================

Uday Works as Freelance Naturalist and Blogs on conservation, tigers, and environmental issues. 
He also provides SEO and Website Content in English.
Uday Teaches Internet Marketing Classes in his hometown of Jabalpur in the Summer.  
He can be contacted at: 

pateluday90@hotmail.com

Tiger Conservation: The Assault Continues

Recent Tiger News!

The tiger at Balaghat was killed not by electrocution but by poisoning of the cattle kill it had made. The body was hacked to pieces after the poor animal was skinned and the claws were carefully disjointed all meant to be sold later. This is not one or rare instance but oft-repeated all over India. Sooner or later these culprits will be let off on bail. 

Male tigers whence they reach adulthood often have to look for vacant territories outside the protected areas and it is here that they are most vulnerable. Since the prey base is thin outside most of the PAs the predator resorts to cattle lifting thus raising the ire of the locals. 

In the case of this tiger, the cattle kill he made was left untended and hence easily poisoned. As per the NTCA guidelines, such kills have to be taken under control by the department with immediate effect and the carcass removed from the vicinity. This is an effective mechanism to prevent the poisoning of carcasses under vengeance or malice. In this case, the motive seems to be trafficking or for sales to local consumers.

Sold to whom?   

We blame the Chinese TCM but there are consumers within us! This horrific episode points towards it. A long time back I received a call from a lady politician from Gujarat who was seeking tiger claws to use as a talisman for her sick mother. I made her understand that these beliefs are taking a heavy toll of endangered species and should be stopped not only for their ineffectiveness but also to conserve the dwindling numbers. It seemed difficult to make her understand so I disconnected.  

Albeit not in a huge number of animal parts in India are used for their supposed medicinal value. The uromastix is an open case and a decade back I have seen its oil extracted by boiling it live and being sold openly in a weekly bazaar in Jabalpur. Who cares!

The reliance on animal parts for medical consumption is more in the Orient where traditions loom large and research-based scientific approach is comparatively low. 

The plant-based medicine seems to be more effective as in the case of Ayurveda but here also substantiated research is lacking. If the practice is threatening rare plants we do not know? If such plants/vegetative matter are used at all for medicinal purposes then their inclusion should be monitored and cultivation encouraged ravaging wild species will be detrimental to conservation in our country.      

Some time back a tiger was electrocuted in the buffer zone of Kanha National Park. The animal died a horrible death from the power of 11 KVA transmission lines that have become a death knell for wildlife in India. In this case, too the culprits were let off within a few months on bail. 

Though salient features are ingrained in the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 the complexities of the law in India make it difficult to negotiate a wildlife crime. The callous attitude towards these acts may be another reason for repeated violations since the punitive measures may not be discouraging enough. 

Do we sensitize our judiciary?

Well though there are judges and lawyers who understand the gravity of these crimes this cannot be said of the whole community. It is through voice and write-ups we can sensitize not only the legal practitioners and the guardians of law we need to sensitize other administrative bodies as well. 

Whence it comes to wildlife offenses the core focus remains on the forest department which probably may have little executive powers regarding such heinous acts... The protection granted to wildlife in India is not the purview of the forest department in isolation, other administrative bodies like the police department should play a proactive and extremely supportive role. 

Tiger conservation or wildlife conservation in the entity is a holistic exercise where a supportive role is required from many corners. Until this does not happen we will continue to lose endangered species in the country. Merely enacting laws will hardly deter the perpetrators of crime against the mute animals.   

======================
Uday work as a naturalist at Kanha National Park in India
He writes on conservation.
Mail: pateluday90@hotmail.com 

Brutalizing The Wild

The picture of the crucified leopard depicts how we treat our wild brethren and glorify our deeds. It also tells us that the World is a human-dominated society where other life forms have no status. Well some of them have been labeled as endangered. 

At least the mauling of charismatic animals in India is duly reported by enthusiastic writers and newsmen aiming for victory reporting. 

The tigers and leopards are lucky because their demise is a matter of concern for those who are concerned thanks to reporting. The wolfs, jackals, deer, wild cats, antelopes, birds, insects, and snakes all are dying but their demise is mired in silence. Forests are being ravaged unseen. We do not know when it will be too late. Perhaps there will be an alternative as humans are good at finding.      

The picture also depicts what most of the humans in India perceive as predators and of course the benign species which are hardly ever reported dead. It tells us that humans engaged in this barbaric activity are illiterate and ignorant. Well, not me! Some of them may be, but definitely, they do not appear to be of the elite class! But who did the decimation of tigers and other wild animals in India before the legislation? The burra sahibs - brown and white, the Maharajahs, nobels, all upper class and literate. Believe me, if the legislation had not been in place these very elite now-turned conservationists would have shot them all down.      

Those we see in the picture indulging in shameless revelry did not have the privilege to decimate our wild animals in the past. Are they making up for it? 

No they are just expressing extreme threat perception...and their ignorance of course. We have not taken up the cudgels to instill an iota of sympathy among them for these so-called killer animals. The only thing they understand is what they see. A human gored by a leopard, a man eaten by a tiger, a child snatched by a wolf, and whatnot. These are stray incidents that do happen and can be avoided with extra vigilance perhaps or better management. Why not? We are not short of wildlife managers or experts in this country who have proved their mettle.      

Why Not? 

Because we live in a system that is only concerned with those with equity...purchasing power, voting muscle, wealth, clout, and all the desirable attributes that make humans a big success.

Because we are overawed by the development mantra and sizzling scales of the economy. We are indulging in luxury and comfort provided by material things. We do not care about the price we are paying for all that. We want more and more... 

Politicians do not care for lifeforms with the missing attributes mentioned above. Bureaucrats those who do care are simply subdued by the lords and the system. We the people are busy with day-to-day life and many for amassing wealth and power, wilderness and nature do not come into the picture or at the most a bit of concern. The conservationists, environmentalists, and nature lovers...this fraternity takes on all the load of the future to be. What happens when ecosystems like tropical forests are inhabitable? What happens whence the rivers dry out as consequence? What happens whence global warming cannot be checked? Wild animals and nature all are inextricably linked with the habitable Earth. Well, so many questions? 

Of major concern to me is, the answer that we will have to give to the next of next-gen....or it may be imminent. For our lethargy, greed, and neglect of the wilderness, a heavy price will have to be paid. And the bells have started tolling already!         

Read on Killing of A Leopard
======================
Uday works as a Naturalist Guide
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
Mobile: 9755089323

Who Shot The Tiger?

AVNI!

The gun silenced her. The deadly bloodthirsty weapon that is responsible for the death of millions of wild animals. The weapon-yielding Sahib stood proud after having killed Avni. He was the master of all he surveyed not the tiger! A nongovernment actor did he have the legal powers to kill? If not, is this the way we wish to be governed? None of the gazetted could shoot??? More hunters will be born.

The deed has been done and precious human lives have been saved. But there emerges a question mark(?) - Our conservation ethos and policies that govern wildlife in India. Another fact emerges that our administrators are helpless whence mass agitation takes place for an event that requires deeper initiative and careful handling. Exigency could be unjustified.   

A few signatures, paperwork, administrative proceedings, and the ground were cleared for extermination. No court!No Judge!No protests! No recourse to her life! Animal!

It is all populist. It is for votes. No, it is for saving precious human lives...there you have it kill the tiger. We will take care of the cubs later or let them perish.   

Did Avni deserve to die? 

Don't know the answer?

Well here is the clue. 

She was allegedly responsible for the death of thirteen humans who had intruded into her land now usurped. She was intruding into land slated for development and was moving in between sensitive human habitats. 

With cubs in tow, she was aiming to increase her lot and claim back the land where her ancestors once roamed free. 

It is tigers versus development! Was it a happening land...under development - highways, factories, cities, storehouses, markets, shops, restaurants, and whatnot? The way to go! Usurp all the land in the country. We are the masters. 

She was an impediment to our way of life and of course, our fast-changing habitat filled with the suffocating warmth of carbon dioxide, rich particles, and ever-pervasive foul smell that we attribute to pollution, garbage, road shit, and dense human settlements.         

In India, the die has been cast a long time back. It is development unhindered, unplanned and a ruthless march to economic progression. We the rulers of the Earth have defined a way of life no other life form can challenge or act as an impediment. 

Peace, justice, security, prosperity, and development are not possible for us amidst marauding carnivores in the vicinity. They should be shot. No Hearing! No Appeal! No Redress! After all, tigers are animals, not humans.

History!

The erstwhile British rulers were ruthless whence it came to exterminating the tiger and other wild species in India designated as vermin. The hunters took guns they brought, and the Maharajahs, elites, sahibs, and their satraps indulged in ruthless orgy all contributing to cleansing the Earth of vermin so that humans could plow and live in eternal peace. They were brutal, irrational, devoid of compassion, and had no understanding of nature and the diversity upon which our lives are so dependent. 

We are worse!

We follow a creed that inculcates nature worship and teaches us the value and sanctity of all life forms and precious elements. We live in the land of Vedas!

But we have acted worse! Why blame the masters! We have killed more animals, we have extensively ravaged forests, grasslands, deserts, mountains, waterways, river systems, and other habitats for our greed and we continue to do so. Ha! We have been comprehensive.  

In contemporary India we are denotifying protected areas, we are denuding forests if not by intent then by pure negligence and greed, we are dissecting forests for highways, granting leases for mining in remaining natural lands, and even small pockets of wilderness are being allocated for construction. 

Why because we certainly do not care. In my hometown an institution came up on a patch of forest with wildlife whence there was plenty of completely denuded land around. This is our state of planning. 

Let us understand one thing the large section of administrators and politicians are unaware of regarding nature conservation and many cares little for our wildlife. Do not expect much from governance to take care of the remaining habitats in India. The inviolate protected areas are a must but the rot does not stem at that since there is plenty of wilderness all around the country and that has to be guarded with zeal and utmost sincerity.  

We do not want the whole country to turn into urbanity comprising of highways, malls, smoke-emitting factories, and unplanned settlements. All this should constitute a small portion and the greater expanse should be that of natural lands untouched by humanity. Stay away from our forests, rivers, deserts, mountains, and grasslands, Do not kill our animals, not a tiger and not even a deer. 

Tiger Conservation

Incidences like the extermination of AVANI are a cause of consternation. Are we moving in the right direction in order to save the big cat from extinction? Tiger conservation is a comprehensive program and it is a National imperative.  

As a Nation are we capable of saving the tiger? We may not lack the ability and resources but do we have the will and concern? For example, can we allocate more inviolate land to the tigers and other life forms for their survival or let them suffocate in fractured land.     

Will we keep losing AVNI time and again! Saving the tiger is a matter of National Pride for all of us and we should overcome it.  

Tiger - Teerath Singh

Tiger Conservation: Tiger Corridors in Muddle

Though a lot has been done for the survival of the tiger, it is still not enough. The growing population of tigers in some protected areas is throwing new challenges to wildlife managers. The population of this big cat is nowhere from the brink of extinction.  

Tigers need more space if their populations have to increase. But most of the space is taken over by human settlements including those in the buffer regions, and in vital corridors adjoining protected areas. Most of the corridors in India are mired in conflicts especially those that are hindrances to massive road projects aka development.

As per law, no development activity is allowed within 10 km of the mandatory buffer.    

The Pench - Kanha corridor was mired in such conflict between the Green Tribunal and the Nagpur Bench of Mumbai High Court. The Court was in favor of the expansion of the highway that transacts through this crucial corridor meant for the migration of tigers and other animals.

Tigers migrate a long distance if the prevailing conditions do not favor them in their place of residence. This is applicable to other animals as well. The migration provides additional shelter to animals and enables gene transfer which is vital activity since it prevents inbreeding which could be fatal to come generations of the big cats.

Pench - Kanha corridor is one of the few unfragmented patches of forests which has made interbreeding possible between big cats of both the tiger reserves. Widening NH7 was proposed in spite of that it would result in substantial damage to the forests as result of axing of trees. As a mitigating

solution elevation of the highway had been proposed, but that still involved the axing of a large number of trees.

Well, to cut it short development has won what with MOEF easing clearances for developmental projects that transact through niche habitats. A number of corridors vital for the survival of tigers are facing some other kind of dilemma in India.  These connecting forests are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna including endangered species.

The muddle is formed between Green Tribunal, Courts, NHAI, WII, and MOEF. The tug of war continues over large swathes of forests that could be vital for saving the beleaguered animals that constitute the wildlife of India.

Though those in favor of saving wildlife have proposed mitigation measures albeit at a substantial increase in the cost of the projects. But this is the correct approach even if there is an increase in the cost since the eventual aim is to save endangered animals from extinction and thus protect our environment and inheritance.

Conservation of our vital forests is mired hopelessly in developmental projects. These include not only highways but industrial belts, mining, settlements, and other resource utilization.

Very few viable corridors remain in the country and most of these are not privileged enough to have a legal status akin to the protected areas.

Interesting News Articles

Expansion of Pench Kanha Corridor 

MOEF & Tiger Corridors

Latest Tiger Census - 2014

Tigers Mating by Dharmagiri at Pench

It is in the news the latest figures about tiger numbers in India. According to census conducted by Indian Government there are 2226 tigers in India. This constitutes seventy percent of the tiger population of the World.

In the year 2010 the population was little above 1700 and much below before that. The figures are encouraging especially since more scientific approach has been used. 

The big cat has a long way to go since the numbers do not extract it out of the endangered status. The rise in population could also be due to tigers discovered in areas hitherto unknown. But better managed reserves have definitely contributed to the increase.       

But what is discouraging is the ministers view that our big cats can be shared with other countries. This is nowhere advisable and the best that can be done is to trans locate the animals to protected areas with less or no tigers.

There are many neglected reserves in this country with decreasing population. At many places local factors like poaching, disease and habit destruction is making the majestic animal extinct. 

A new approach to census should be put in place with population of each and every reserve made open to public. This is a pertinent approach which will also put to pressure weak management and expose local problems.  

Much Ado About Nothing - Tiger Tourism Ban

After so much of involvement of Legal System nothing has come out of the case. Those who were favoring the ban on tiger tourism have been proved wrong and their myopia exposed. The misguided approach has caused revenue loss to eco-tourism industry as whole since many bookings were cancelled.Colossal loss will not be recovered this year.  Inbound tourists arrive in India with advance arrangements due to travel regulations and prior bookings.  

New Safaris will be conducted in according to guidelines of NTCA as per the Supreme Court. Tourism in twenty percent of core zones or critical tiger habitat is assured. The whole tiger community is in an elated state. Lively hood of many dependents has been saved.  

Read More: Tiger Tourism Ban News

More Tigers Outside PA

I just came across the news of four tigers being found in Nandhor Valley in Uttarakhand State of India.This is heartening news as all discoveries of new tigers is going to be. 

Please read here: Tigers Outside Protected Areas

More on Nandhor Valley

Almost ten years back I had seen a mating pair in Kundwara R.F near Jabalpur. This pair was also seen by few villagers and an SDO who patrolled that area. Similarly there are unconfirmed reports of tigers in  Mandla Division on Jabalpur Mandla Highway, some good forest patch adjoining the Narmada River. This could be sightings of leopards but who knows? 

I believe there may be more tigers outside the PAs, but most of the Reserve Forests in the country are in pathetic state. The existence of the stray tiger population could be in precarious state. 

Tiger Cubs

This year has been good for Ranthambhore tiger reserve in Rajasthan and Pench tiger reserve (Seoni Hills)in Madhya Pradesh. Tigers are prolific breeders but the extent to which their population has been decimated in last hundred years that this fecundity is hardly noticeable.

The reckless poaching has resulted in extermination of population all over India and has even resulted into skewed sex ratio at places. Combined with stress of human interference and continued threat of live stock and prey base depletion tigers survived in reserves and bred well. There was a marked rise in population of tigers in some National Parks. But when places which are disturbed and suspected of being under attack by the poachers - as Ranthambhore - report fourteen tiger cubs being born in the park, it is indeed heartening news. This also shows that the sex ratio among male and female tigers there is in balance and mating is taking place regularly.

Similarly at Pench nine tiger cubs where born recently. Pench is an upcoming tiger reserve in terms of sighting and successful breeding of tigers has resulted in good tiger sighting in the wild in recent times.

Another benefit of larger number of tiger reserves reporting good tiger sighting is that the tourism pressure will spread even and let off some air from Kanha and Bandhavgarh. The lodges and resorts at Pench and Ranthambhore tiger reserve will also see greater number of visitors if this trend continues.

Bengal Tigers in India

News Article on Bengal Tigers

Status of Tigers in India in the National Geographic Magazine. The latest tiger census figure have been released by the Project Tiger Directorate in New Delhi.

The falling numbers of tiger population is alarming and if poaching, habitat and disease are not curbed immediately than the tiger has a bleak future. The latest statistics show the tiger numbers at 1411 which is half what it was few years back. At the turn of the 20th century there were 40,000 tigers in India. Poaching for bones and habitat destruction is the major reason for the fall in the population of Bengal tiger in India. The major demand for tiger parts and fur are from Nepal, Tibet and China. The mafia engaged in tiger poaching has to be dealt severely.