The Embattled Tiger

She was beaten to death?

Tiger

Why?

Was she intruding into human settlements, did she injure or kill humans? Or are we intruding into her land? The latter is not probable but the truth - an axiomatic truth without doubt. 

In the parliament,  or at hustings whence serious issues are being battled environment is not an issue at all...or maybe but at an insignificant level. Paying lip service to the conservation of wildlife and saving the environment is a sure-shot act of evasion from being ostracized by the club of those who are aware and the unrelenting media.  

Except for the headlines, I did not bother to read the story. 

This is a story that is happening almost now and then and may continue till the big cats are alive in the wilderness in India. 

Undoubtedly the tiger is the World's most persecuted land-based carnivore. Extensive hunting, poaching, traditional medicines, cosmetics, toiletries, man-animal conflicts, prey base reduction, and now habitat takeover and destruction at the speed of light. Not that these things did not happen before. They did! And that is why this big cat is in a precarious state almost on verge of extinction where ever it now survives. At most of the places on Earth at its former range, it has been exterminated, mercilessly killed as vermin, or kicked out of its home. The dastardly acts continue... 

On Tiger Day the newly collated census will be announced, and the increased numbers will be touted as enhanced conservation but unfortunately, the efforts are mired in a greater number of problems the carnivore is facing than that being highlighted. The epiphany will never point to the population crossing the threshold of the imminent possibility of extinction in India. Because tiger conservation has to be comprehensive in tackling the convergence of wide-scale issues and conflicts that are threatening the species in this country.   

Ours is such a human-centric society and greedy as well that we will continue to exterminate other life forms especially those that take on cudgels with us like the predators...

We also consume wildlife as food and medicine which is putting under stress populations of many beleaguered life forms, especially the aquatic species. This too continues and involved in these illogical farming are some of the most rational countries. TCM is a big scourge and the big cat is the biggest sufferer.  But we have to be aware that the feline parts are in demand in India as medicine and talisman as well but it is much less. People are fond of tiger nails as well which is a threat to the survival of this species...poachers are encouraged due to the demand for these parts. All of us should let go of this malady with immediate effect.     

In India, though great efforts are being made to save the tiger - which also include that of some NGOs. The efforts have been thwarted on regular basis by policy conflict with an emphasis on rapid development and economic pursuits that hinder a rational approach due to these exigencies. Nefarious elements are always a threat to wildlife in any country.  

Enamored as we are with this modern structural empowerment all around us which enable utilization of all modern amenities at our doorstep at the press of a button making natural habitats and environment concerns deep secondary and extremely vulnerable. 

Those at the helm have to sit down and concur on how best we can develop without damaging nature and neglecting environmental concerns. 

The tiger is to blame for the attack on humans a species sacrosanct, and the supreme master of this Earth. That humans are encroaching on its land is of least concern and hardly discussed whence an event like a man killing or lynching of the tiger occurs. 

We are devouring land like we should not, but who cares townships, highways, and factories are essential components of our society. Protest could result in repercussions of the worst kind. Even though it is apparent that man-made leaps on Earth cannot be prevented yet we can mitigate the harm we are causing to nature and its vital components that can save the tiger for eternity.  

We have moved forward far from treating wild animals as vermin we actually conserve them...do we? Killing tigers and other wild forms as a remedy for the safety of humans is not conservation. Do we dwell deep into the contingency that prevails in our society? Have we found the answer to sporadic poaching, forced incursions into human habitations, electrocution of animals, habitat destruction which is shamefully reoccurring, or wood logging going unnoticed at many places in India? 

Are we serious about tiger conservation or.....? 

We are a savage civilization but do not appear so, morphed perhaps by modern appendages and a mannerism that is broad-scale deceptive. We know very well that we are dependent upon the offerings of nature and the equilibrium in the Earthly environment...and yet we choose to neglect the vital components like the tiger that nature is desperately trying to retain. 

Nature is a chain of things indelibly linked to each other, a fragile web that is giving away, thanks to our rabid incursions...as a result, global warming-related climate change is taking place. What about extreme water shortages in many places? Are we concerned? Need we pay a greater price. We will because we are refusing to mend our ways.   

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Uday is a naturalist and writes on tiger conservation and the environment:
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
9755089323

Tiger Conservation: Cattle Conundrum

Holy Cow!

Considered as holy the cow is one of the most ill treated animal in India. Left vagabond on the streets to forage on waste and litter, the animal survives under deep stress and is ridden with ill health. Though there is no shortage of  organized cattle farms and gaushalas, the cattle left astray are owned by people who put forward a claim only whence milking is concerned. They are then left entirely on the mercy of the weather and waste and litter. They are a road safety hazards and a shame on us!

Why this neglect whence we consider it as the holiest of all animals ironically even above the critically endangered tiger?   

Cattle rearing practice is age old and along with other elements of livestock has been the main stay of the households all over rural India. Albeit little is known about beef consumption in earlier times the animals diary produce was always an important element of our existence. Due to its importance in our lives it was ordained a holy status and Hindus with vast majority being vegetarians began to revere it to the point that beef consumption became unthinkable.

But what role does the cow play in conservation especially the tiger conservation. Cows along with other livestock are left to forage in our wilderness. This practice has a detrimental effect since it  denudes forests and grasslands, increases biotic pressures and contributes to man animal conflict as well. 

Our forest ecosystems have been at the receiving end with severe denudation taking place. The wild herbivores have been the worst sufferers since rearing livestock (cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat) became widespread. Being an important means of sustenance this practice was never discouraged on the contrary it became an important industry. But unlike other countries this pastoral livelihood was only partially organized, the rest being tended by people who could ill afford investment in proper dairy farming. 

Gaur

Inability to feed their keep the poor and as a matter of opportunity for the affluent among the rural communities in most of the forested regions all found succor in the ample vegetation growing around their settlements.  The ravage still continues with no solution in sight.       

Tribal 

The effect of unorganized cattle rearing  with dependence on forests for food is reason for severe biotic stress and the herbivores have been the losers. Along with the cattle foraging in the forests the consequent tree felling has had a disastrous impact on our tiger reserves noticeably in the buffer.  The livestock also drains crucial water resources.

Another harmful consequence of this practice has been the increase in man animal conflict. Cattle whence they enter the forests to forage are susceptible to predator attacks especially from the tigers and to some extent from the leopards. In retaliation the carcass or half eaten cattle is poisoned leading to the death of the predator. This is a common occurance around our tiger reserves.    

In order to mitigate this conflict quick compensation is resorted to by the department with aid from NGOs. As a precautionary measure the cattle kill is quickly removed from the spot to a place where the predator cannot reach. This is done to avoid retaliatory poisoning by the owners. 

The preposterously huge numbers of cattle around our tiger reserves especially in the buffer zones is a major cause of concern. This is one of the serious threat to the ecosystem and results in reduced prey base due to stiff competition between the wild species and the livestock. While the formers practice of foraging leaves space for regeneration the livestock practice may not. In order to worsen the situation the herdsmen also resort to felling of trees in order to facilitate consumption by the livestock.

Being natural inhabitants of land since evolution the wild species are able to process seeds through their digestive system to facilitate regeneration. And apart from this they do not transmit disease organism which the livestock is wont to do. In fact wild animal diseases with man and livestock as carriers is a major concern in the arena of conservation.   

Disease like rinderpest, anthrax, foot and mouth disease are a severe threat to wild mammals and an outbreak has occurred many times at Kanha Tiger Reserve severely depleting the population of gaur. Though incidence of infectious disease borne by the livestock is not prevalent at the present juncture the threat remains.  

Every time I visit Kanha National Park I see large number of cattle foraging in the buffer zone. This number is inexplicable especially whence very little income is generated by the owners. The yield of milk is low and as a common practice only single crop of paddy is grown in the buffer. 

The restriction is limited to the core zone but who knows what happens in non tourism core area since nobody except the department is able to set foot there. Not leaving things to wild conjecture the core zone or critical tiger habitat is secure from the onslaught of  the livestock.    

Keeping in mind the human pressure it is unthinkable to impose restriction in the buffer zone. But nevertheless more organized dairy practises could be encouraged which would reduce biotic pressure. A better breed of cattle is essential if organized dairy as means of livelihood is brought into practice here. Until then the scourge remains.

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Uday Works As A Naturalist
He Writes on Conservation Issues
Mail: pateluday90@hotmail.com

Tiger Conservation: The Mayhem Continues

Tiger Poaching in India

With the electrocution of tigress at Sanjay Dubri National Park in Madhya Pradesh another ghastly incidence unfolds. The electrocution of tigers in India continues unabated since more than a decade.

A pick on newspapers will reveal how frequent is this menace. Taking advantage of high voltage electric lines passing through and near the conservation units this form of poaching is a regular affair with the system having no answer to curb.

Tiger By Teerath Singh

Poachers small time or big time do not understand the National loss of an inheritance invaluable. This also sums up the fact that in spite of active and continued conservation efforts the beleaguered animal is not out of danger. This is also suggestive of ongoing man animal conflict in areas harboring the big cats. 

There are no answers even after decades of existing of this method of killing tigers and other wild animals. Taking into account the critical status of the predator one would have expected a quick reprisal or prevention exercise such that the menace is stopped for ever. On the contrary it seems that such incidents are considered as isolated and hence have no effect on the conservation fraternity in India.      

Compounded by other threats like poisoning and snaring facing the tiger, this is going to result in reduction of its population on long lasting basis or even extinction. 

In spite of all International hullabulloo we have not woken up from slumber. The animal requires proactive concerted and compounded efforts to brink it back from the brink of extinction.

For the political fronts at various level this issue lacks imperative as compared with more inviting actions that fetch votes. This has weakened the administrative impetus required to save wild animals in this country.

The legal system too is to blame as many culprits go scot free due to lacunae in the framework. The required punitive measures harsh enough to discourage the marauders never take place. The lethargy entwined in our legal framework further vitiates the atmosphere.

For example the recent electrocution case in Kanha buffer has not resulted in punitive action thanks to myriad of legal loopholes in our system and administrative lethargy.  

If a methodology to curb this menace is not found soon, we are going to lose large number of tigers. A nation bent upon cow protection needs to pay heed to this majestic animal in dire need of attention. Least we lose this valuable inheritance forever and lose our pride as well not forgetting the inimitable part it plays in the ecosystems across the country.  

The sad end to the recent case of electrocution at Sanjay Dubri was the subsequent death of her cubs. Taken into intensive care at Bandhavgarh Reserve they were unable to cope with infection in absence of the immunity accorded by the mother's milk.. 

A major menace - The stray dogs

I have seen this often near my hometown of Jabalpur. The city still contains wilderness bereft of others. There is a substantial population of chital deer, barking deer, Chinkara, sambar, wild boars, langurs, and peacock in the reserve forests surrounding Jabalpur City in Madhya Pradesh.  

A pack of dogs (not dhole) chasing a deer or seeking one is often seen. Like any town in India stray dogs abound not only are they a menace to the human population as they carry rabies they have become a major threat to wildlife. The menace if not controlled will take a heavy toll on wildlife all over the country.

After the organized slaughter during the British Regime in India and subsequently, by the Maharajahs, Satraps, and Nawabs the pillars of imperialism in India, stray dogs are next. Natural predators like the wolf,  jackal, fox, and hyena are losing ground and this is causing an imbalance in the predator-prey relationship - by the sheer numbers of stray dogs. The prey species in reserve forests, buffers, and periphery help support a greater number of predators that includes tigers and leopards. 

The Central Indian Tiger Reserves the best managed in India also face this threat since every pocket of conserved ecosystem outside the CTH contains tigers and leopards. The gains we have made in terms of increasing tiger/leopard populations in the reserves will be done away by the stray dogs.  

I believe this issue is being taken lightly. If the danger is realized to be of threatening proportion, stray dog population control will get impetus which anyway is a must.  

Thanks to excellent conservation measures prey species in parks like Kanha have spread over the reserve forests in the periphery thus supporting greater numbers of predators.  But this gain will be short-lived if preventive measures are not immediately put into action. 

Chinkara

Spotted Deer

Jackals

Barking Deer