Dying Tigers

Tigress Killed

She was choked to death in the cave, the one place she had chosen to give birth to cubs, but fate had another story chalked out for her. Upon discovering the tiger's lair, the poachers mercilessly clogged the opening and set things on fire. She was not incinerated but rather suffocated by smoke that had filled in the cave. She was killed along with cubs in her womb. This sordid saga is not just one event, there is an ongoing onslaught on the endangered beast in India. 

In a spate of few weeks, some more tigers have been killed, and this is alarming. Often the murder is passed off as a territorial fight or due to old age, how many of these narratives are true God only knows! Who bothers since the big cats are no political liability, the incidence could just pass off as unfortunate.

Killings using guns, snares, live wire, and poisoning the kill of the beasts are ongoing year on year. In a spate of eight years around seven hundred tigers have died, and almost half have been killed leaving the rest accounting for natural deaths. 

The figure of seven hundred is ominous with most of the deaths taking place in Central India and Maharashtra, incidentally these states account for a robust number of big cats. In some other States, the population is sizeable and so are the deaths but States are not in the context in this write-up. With the increase of 750 animals between two nationwide censuses the deaths equal them, or maybe if the unaccounted or missing ones are taken into account we are losing more tigers than conserving them.    

Even if we do not enter into the nitty-gritty of census and the growing numbers, the large number of deaths should be considered alarming. Add to this wrong labeling in case of poaching's being declared as territorial fights the figure rises exponentially. 

This points to lacunae in the management practices with regards to the conservation units all over India. Once we get over our obsession with tiger tourism, which by all means is innocuous with the regulation in place we have to dive in as to what is going wrong. 

We can call the poisoning of cattle or other livestock killed by a tiger a man-animal conflict. But live wire, snaring, hunting by gun or other weapons is not a man-animal conflict it is poaching or pure murder and a crime. This is going on for too long in India for comfort, and no concerted effort is being noticed for the amelioration of this deadly scourge. 

Why this neglect?

This is not a pure case of neglect there are gaps in our protection mechanism. And the solution is at the macro level.  

The number of such incidences could be reduced if the local staff or ground staff is proactive, alert, and effective. The latter aspect is missing. The post is part of a huge government sector called the forest department and is under the aegis of State machinery.  Still, under colonial makeover, the department functions in isolation and is not proactive enough to invite public involvement hence there is no voice as a result. Most of the news generated is by an instance of tiger death and at best limited to the incident often without many details. 

Hierarchical Alienation

Hierarchical alienation is evident since some of the top brass function in isolation surrounded by a coterie which includes the ubiquitous babus. Add to this there is substantial political interference, and corruption for which not all, and the department as a whole, cannot be blamed. There are honest and hard-working people in the whole hierarchy starting from the top. But those corrupt mar the functioning and this impacts conservation initiatives.              

Hierarchical alienation leads to lower staff which is most instrumental in the protective mechanism work in complete isolation, and in a weakened position. There are two reasons: lack of support from the higher-ups since many least bother to work at ground level, and an ineffective legal mechanism. I had been pointed out these lacunae in the system by the ground staff many times. The enormity of administrative work could be another reason for the lack of interest in the field.    But let's keep in mind the dedicated honest work loving in the management the reason behind success in an increase in numbers. I am not judging everyone under the same lens since a lot of commendable work has been done.

Corrupt officials and subordinates interfere in the functioning or are lax in their attitude. Some in the management of tiger reserves are just there to while away their time with no interest in conservation, while some are not fit enough to undergo rigorous physical and mental demands of fieldwork. As regards this, it has been pointed out time and again that placement should be subject to merit. But this is not happening as favoritism, personal preference and political influences are still being talked about. Readers should note that political/administrative pressures and demands are very much prevalent in this ecosystem. Special privileges especially as regards tourism must come to an end.

 Core Vs Buffer

The anomalies in the core or the inviolate area are much less, and greater administrative cohesion is seen. This is due to a better sense of duty, pride in the heritage, and public pressure that is constantly hovering. 

The buffer is the convergence point where outside influences creep in. The outside group comprises of political goons, mafia, and detractors mostly those under severe threat perception, or under the influence of organizations that do not agree with conservation practices. 

We must also note that a good number of locals are bereft of wilderness, treat predators as threats, see herbivores as food, and have the least interest in conservation. This leaves out dedicated officers and ground staff who nevertheless carry out their duty to save the animals that survive between humans. To the benevolent group, we must add the staff, guides, small businesses benefiting from tourism and the number is sizeable. This group is supportive of all conservation initiatives and put in efforts to make them a success. 

The beat guard or forest guard is most susceptible to threats, negative influences, stressful working conditions, and as mentioned earlier he works weakened. This leads to a weak protection mechanism in the buffer where most of the tiger deaths are taking place. Few incidences do take place in the core as well especially in areas near the buffer. The borders of our tiger reserves are porous and people can enter easily as not every nook and corner can be guarded. 

In most of our tiger reserves, in spite of demands for parts due to TCM or other reasons poaching is less. Few small times poachers do exists and kill tigers accidentally wide a mechanism meant to obtain game meat. But this is happening regularly and modus operandi is live wire or snares. The ultras wherever present prevents sound protection.            

Revenge for man/livestock kills can be termed as man-animal conflict and this is done using poisoning of the half-eaten carcass. As a preventive measure, the tiger kill is removed so that in absence of predator poising will have no impact and this is working effectively in the periphery of the reserves. But for other maladies, there is no solution yet.    

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Uday is a blogger and offers Seo + Content For Digital Marketing Services. 

He teaches digital marketing (SEO) in Jabalpur.

He freelances as a naturalist/birder at Kanha National Park. He loves to write about travel. 

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Author

Tiger Conservation The Buck Stops Here

The passing of legislation (Wildlife Protect Act 1972) and creation of protected areas, and the Project Tiger Program were milestones that laid the foundation of nature conservation in India. For the first time after independence the country had a serious look at the status of its wilderness. 

Subsequently a series of corrective measures were taken. Tiger was at the helm of conservative initiatives. The beleaguered animal had lost lot of ground, thanks to indiscriminate hunting, poaching and extensive loss of habitat.

The creation of protected areas was a master stroke, especially the inviolate core zones. In the core zones no human habitation except that of the forest staff is allowed, all activities relating to forest produce do not take place. As a result the ecosystems have vastly improved. The outer ring of the forests contains the buffer zone which is an amalgamation of forests patches, villages, fields and public road network. The buffer forests are patchily linked with  the regular forests, status of which is anybody's guess. 

Tiger Image Courtesy: Mukund Yadav

With proper initiatives, the the big cat has gained some ground in the recent times. Many well managed parks have seen a rise in population. But with the success have arisen problems galore. 

The buffer zone is inept in containing the swelling population of big cats and the prey. There is a regular decline in the forest cover due to illegal logging which has reduced the habitats into fragments often degraded, some of which are completely nonviable.      

The human population in India is swelling here like anywhere else and this is hampering the movement of wild animals. The extreme biotic pressure is weighing down on the wild  inhabitants of the ecosystems. The loss of space as degradation increases is apparent, so is altered behaviour seen among the big cats.    

If we have to see a constant rise in population of tertiary consumers space is vital. The maximum number of conflicts with humans occur in the buffer. Animals do not understand the concept of protected area, for them any good habitat is worth moving into. The presence of humans in large numbers and their activities are discouraging for a tiger seeking new pastures. 

The tiger is sensitive to human presence like the hard ground swamp deer. Though the big cat survives along with humans its breeding and life span are reduced. The conflict amplifies whence it is forced to prey of livestock.  In many of our tiger reserves a large number of livestock are regularly preyed upon, and besides the human antipathy generated the big cat becomes susceptible to disease transmission and poaching as well.         

Animals have been electrocuted, snared, shot and exterminated by poisoning their kill. (Sometimes exterminated legally). Even if some PA's may not be under the scanner of organised poachers opportunists are present everywhere and the cases are on the rise.     

Hence if we wish to increase tiger population in India, we have to conserve effectively all the remaining habitats irrespective of their status. Though it is impossible to create extensive inviolate grounds, conservative initiatives need a paradigm shift as far as human inhabited habitats are concerned.  

Some of the macro solutions could be control and reduction of human populations, alternative to pastoral lifestyle, alternative fuel supply, restriction on construction and commercialisation. Many laudable steps have already been taken but require a greater impetus. In time to come more solutions will emerge.   

Wildlife tourism in buffer zones has been lauded by many conservationists. They believe greater protection measures will augur as a result of increased importance of the status of habitats there. A rise in equity is certain to increase the importance of our wilderness hence well managed tourism does play a part.       

(But safaris in the buffer zones are a poor alternative to the experience in the core. Hence there are few takers.The habitats here do offer good bird watching experience.)    

Problems facing tiger reserves in MP

Tiger population in most of the tiger reserves in the State of Madhya Pradesh has increased in recent times. The breeding is impressive as on my last visit in November about 14 cubs at various stages could be seen at Bandhavgarh Park. But the encouraging survival rate is beset with other problems.

The threat is from external factors like poaching, man animal conflict, diseased livestock and territorial scuffles due to shortage of habitat.     

The security is poor as the due to understaffing as per news the post of forest guards, foresters, rangers,  needs to be filled on urgent basis. The funding is crucial for the survival of conservation centers in the state. The funding is falling short and is not enough to enable relocation of villages from the core zone and perhaps the buffer. 

Relocation is an answer to the man animal conflict which all the reserves face. The timely implementation is not possible due to severe fund crunch.

The center has taken an initiative to look into the lethargic relocation process of the human settlements in the tiger reserve. Panels of wildlife experts and conservationist have been  formed to look into the matter and possibly offer answer to expedite the matter.

This is encouraging if we have to save the tiger, inviolate space should be secured and possibly increased so as to form effective corridors and prevent inbreeding by encouraging migration.