The Dwindling Indian Wild Dog

Shahdar Range Sehora

The even-paced stride under the glaring light of the rising Sun in a pristine forest was a spectacle unparalleled. The sightings of a tiger I had experienced many times paled whence compared with the flight of this dainty carnivore. Lustrous golden brown with a black bushy handsome tail dhole as the wild dog is called in Hindi is one of the most charismatic predators on Earth. Lightweight and lithe, the creatures weigh less than twenty kilograms yet carry a punch that could bring down prey bigger than them. 

This was in Shahdar Range in Sehora Tehsil of Jabalpur District. The year was 1990 and we were frequenting ranges in Sehora District on tendu collection drive.  At that time there were 12 tigers reported in Shahdar Range and adjoining ranges. There was a dense population of prey and perhaps bison at that time in these forests under high biotic pressure. The area is now under Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve? The present status is unknown. Have we lost the forests and wild animals to urbanization or destruction?  I have not been to this erstwhile? tiger landscape since my first visit.   

 The predator's flight path was in opposite direction and we witnessed the spectacle for a long time before the pair vanished into the woods. When we first ventured into this region we were least expecting to encounter wilderness like that which usually exists in the core area of the reserves. Most of the forests outside the protected areas are subject to wood logging, forest fires, poaching, and illegal quarrying by brick manufacturers. Authorities have lax control of such patches because of a lack of dedication in some, political infringement, and inherent corruption among some.   

Surprised by such abundance, I felt like being in ancient India whence wilderness was rife all over. We nearly encountered a tiger whence he killed a cattle belonging to a local sarpanch. But the wild dogs are shy, and we saw them only in less disturbed range of Shahdar Hill.

The Dhole (Cuon Alpinus) 

Overshadowed by the tiger and the leopard, both endangered in India, the dhole or wild dog is equally threatened.  The location I describe here although under project tiger now, was a commercial wood-logging site. In such areas, a constant protection guarantee in absence of conservation initiatives is much to be concerned about.  

Dhole on Prey - Image Teerath Singh

The focus is on the core or critical tiger habitats in Indian reserves, and neglect of sink areas is palpable. However, I feel the status of wilderness is much weighed down by the core-centric approach for the real conflict in the extended neighborhoods. Animals like the dhole are rarely localized in the core. The populations spread far and wide, they are restricted only by the crown cover since the canid is not an open area or scrub predator. 

During my visits as a naturalist in Kanha National Park - incidentally one of the best managed proactive conservation units - I have been keeping an eye on the population dynamics of this carnivore for a long time and surprisingly have come to the conclusion that the population is paradoxically unstable in the core itself. I am as good as any amateur naturalist and my conclusions are much more based on perception than facts and figures.  But in the case of wild matters observation or seeing is believing. 

Please note, visitors and naturalists have no access to regions outside the tourism area. But regular forays in the tourism areas are enough to gauze the status of predators in a given reserve since the population as a whole is interconnected and subject to constant local migration. In the extreme cases of prey depletion, the population declines naturally, only to recover whence the prey density becomes stable. This is not the case with Kanha.    

The dhole frequent the buffer or outer rings of the reserves, I have seen them often near human habitation in Kanha a number of times. They frequent the buffer zone safari area near Boda Chappri and nearby villages.

Conflict & Conservation 

Of the global population of around 2500 animals, more than sixty percent survive in India. Conservation span as regards Cuon Alpinus is minimal, pan India. Though recent concern augurs hope that the animal may not arrive at the same status as the much-threatened Indian wolf. 

The pack hunter may recover with help of studies and research that may sketch a productive conservation approach. But unfortunately, threatening factors are quite akin to the wolf.  

The conflict paradigm in the case of secondary carnivores that venture much further away from the protected core is far more perplexing than in the case of most of the tertiary carnivores like the tiger that remain confined to dense crown cover and rarely venture near human settlements in the daytime. The rapid decline in wolf populations and the threat posed to the leopards in India stand in parallel to what the dhole is facing.  Such carnivores cross over the manageable limits of our conservation reach. 

The status of the stray population of carnivores is much dependent upon the factors listed below: 

• 1) Live Stock Predation 
• 2) Historical Threat Perception 
• 3) Vicinity to Human Habitation
• 4) Disease Prevalence  
• 5) Population of Dogs  
• 6) Presence of Co-predators 
• 7) Habitat Destruction 

The canid is extremely agile and shy enough to avoid human habitation but with fast-depleting forests and encroaching settlements, the dreaded encounter is inevitable. The wild dog is the loser and its fast-depleting population is no hearsay. 

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The animal produces four or five pups at a  time during the onset of winter. There can be multiple breeding females, though the alpha pair hierarchy is well established. The canid is more of a clan hunter and calling it a pack hunter is not correct. 

The clan size I have seen in Kanha and Bandhavgarh was around fourteen adults. But these clans disperse to make it on their own, and that rings alarm bells among wildlife enthusiasts. The animal is loosely territorial, and the dispersal can expose them to conflict regions or areas with less prey which will hinder breeding.    

Dholes are social, and during breeding, they are often seen in pair that has separated. The gestation period of this diurnal hunter is around two months. With natural consent, this dog is a gory hunter and the prey is consumed often by the time the chase ends. 

This dog does not bark like the city-bred but communicates using sounds that resemble whistling. When alarmed the sound emitted is loud, raucous, and continuous it is like somewhere between a bark and long haul. 

Although there are no conservation initiatives, the predator down the line has recently become a subject of curiosity and a number of studies have taken place. A groundbreaking study has been carried out by A.J.T Johnsingh in Bandipur Tiger Reserve. More studies on the ecology of this predator have been done and are being carried out by imminent scientists and researchers.    

India desperately waits for positive outcomes or the canid will be added to the lone wolf story sooner than we expect. 

Wild Dog India - Image Nandita Amin 

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Uday works as freelance naturalist and loves to write on related issues. He also provides SEO and content writing services. He runs classes on digital marketing in his home town Jabalpur.  

He can be contacted :

pateluday90@hotmailcom

9755089323  

Kundwara Forests Victim of Agricultural Expansionism

Agriculture in any form in India has never been seen as a malady thanks to teeming uncontrolled population with billion mouths to feed. Its status is akin to the holy cow whether productive or not. The biotic stress is difficult to manage and the environment is crumbling under the pressure.  But little do people realise that the same life saving agrarian benevolence has wreaked havoc on our ecosystems all over the country. 

Agriculture has made inroads into the heart of nature in India and remote places are remote no more, they have been recklessly invaded by humanity completely degrading habitats and wiping off nearly all life forms. The negative impact of encroachment and subsequent land clearance for settlements and urbanization has been further enhanced by large-scale livestock rearing. Both have made rapid strides all over India in order to feed the people and establish local economies. It is time now to increase the productivity of land in an organic manner and free as much land as possible for regeneration by reducing dependence on traditional farming. Even livestock at places are unproductive but weigh down heavily creating biotic pressure. More productive stock and alternative eco-friendly income is the need of the hour.            

                                                            Kundwara Forests 

In my quest for understanding nature in India, I have noted with much sadness the wide-scale loss of our ecosystems and the near extinction of our precious wildlife. This though has not drawn much concern among the people as well as the administrators and politicians to a large extent. Lost habitats with lone trees and past zoo geographical status may find mention here and there but for us, the living suffering from amnesia nothing is lost. But surely whence environmental impacts broil down our throats the absence of precious ecosystems will become conspicuous. 

                                                                Kundwara Rest House

The impact is already in effect due to global warming and pollution. In spite of public outcry, the negative fallout of unplanned development at places has not made any impact. Although this is not happening in remote rural confines the ecosystems are being nipped in the bud by constant abiotic and biotic pressures. Infrastructure development in remote confines is limited but encroachment or stripping of land for economic purposes and settlement albeit slow cannot be ruled out.        

                                                    Brook at Kundwara Forests

Driving down to Kundwara Forest Rest House is one fine way to discover the damage agriculture has brought about. The RH is situated near Baghraji (Bagh=Tiger) a hamlet named after the tiger. And this nomenclature is not due to a fig of imagination, in the past, this destination was full of big cats and diverse wildlife in large extant forests that were part of the Central Indian Highlands. Most of the forests in Central India and elsewhere are pockmarked with settlements and the fallout on surrounding forests is evident. The crown cover is absent and so is the wilderness.  

                                                                           Nursery

Even to the uninitiated, the strip of forest on the hills and its absence in the plains nearby rings an alarm bell, the sordid saga of degradation brought about by humans. Twenty years back I had seen tigers on the descent before the RH. Then throughout the night in the Scary darkness of the Dak Bungalow, I heard the mating calls. The sound made in heaven and the sighting were instrumental in the discovery of tigers where they had lost ground a long time back.       

Kundwara RH is now a hub of picnickers and enthusiasts on nature trails. The romantic British-built RH has been replaced by a modern construction that does not gel with the surroundings. The path leading to the brook in the middle of the forests is good enough for nature walks but the tigers and other animals are missing replaced by a bunch of picnickers and nature lovers. The nearby Laver River was inhabited by marsh crocodiles, pythons, and other aquatic life. This exotic rivulet is devoid of wilderness and completely dependent upon humanity that prevails in the precincts. Spotted Deer though scarce are sometimes visible on the drive and the chinkaras which I used to see often are much scarcer their meat is easily available leading them to near extinction here perhaps. 

"Nothing much here except the chitals," the guard informed me. "Even the tigers you have seen are not here anymore. Migrated perhaps." 

I remember very much the big cats were attracted by the water in the nursery in the summers. A well-armed Thakur from a nearby village used to score the jungles in search of a game. He told me of his escapades whence hunting was not illegal, and for a small fee, VIPs used his services to bring down already beleaguered wildlife. This should have stopped post Wildlife Protection Act 1972 but as he told me he cannot let go of hunting even if it is illegal. I am told he was brought to the book by a vigilant and daring officer. 

Post-booking criminals and wood loggers the administration is often pressurized by local political goons to let go. The brave resist and are subsequently punished by the local politicians reminding us that democracy has not been able to dilute the power of feudal and the local bigwigs. Anyway, the reserve forests notified as such do not hold much clout as the Protected Areas and National Parks do. Belonging to lower conservation rung they are subject to much exploitation, encroachment, and wildlife crimes with the criminal getting away using bribes, using powerful contacts, and the weak laws that prevail.    

Central India abounds in reserve forests beside a few PAs of repute. The reserve forest like Kundwara suffers from neglect even the local nursery beds were rotting with neglect and half-grown plants are left to die without any plantation efforts being made. This is a precious waste of public money and plantation exercise should be conducted only under responsible supervision or not at all.  

Anyway, the RH is well-maintained and the staff is polite and welcoming. A day can be well spent here on holiday and Kundwara is excellent for bird watching. Bring your own food or else ask the staff to cook for you if you have enough rations. The strip of forests will remain and the corridor it forms with other reserve forests and with Bandhavgarh though weak may last for quite some time.   

These rest houses surrounding small eco-units should play an active role in ecotourism in India. Kundwara already popular with tourists could fetch revenue for the development of the nursery, protection of the forests, and upkeep of the RH. The administration should follow suit with RH prevailing in scenic local or eco-units and use them for revenue generation while at the same time dispersing holidaymakers from already crowded tiger reserves.   

Kundware is about forty km from Jabalpur Airport on the Kundum Shahpura Highway. While driving from Jabalpur you have to turn left from Tilsani township (30Km) towards Baghraji in order to reach the RH. Permission should be availed from the DFO Jabalpur. RH facilities are provided on basis of permission availed.

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

He also provides SEO and Website Content in English.

He can be contacted at:

Mail: pateluday90@hotmail.com
 Mob: 09755089323

             

Conservation and Best Places for Spotting Tigers in India

India's Recent Conservation History 

Central India retains its status as a tiger state with more big cats in its reserves than any other. This is a matter of pride and a sign of huge success in the conservation of the beleaguered cat. The problems faced by the endangered animal are literary insurmountable, but yet their populations grow in our country. Whereas we retain fifty percent of the population in India, it is losing ground elsewhere on Earth. 

Once we had contiguous tracts of forests and grasslands which formed fragile yet tenable ecosystems that supported myriads of life forms to conserve sustainable biodiversity in a robust environment. The lifelines of these precious natural places were the major rivers and their tributaries. This is not the case anymore as they have been either dammed or altered by engineering and this continues. This has prevented or altered the movement of keystone species and has resulted in subsequent damage to their environment and the ecosystems as a whole.  

Nature is a highly sensitive element of Earth and even slight alteration may threaten the survival of species, and the environmental equilibrium that is crucial for the sustenance of life on Earth including that of humans. There are in fact no pliable solutions to engineer earthly elements for infrastructure developments some strategies may only mitigate but not prevent a hole in the protective shield. Even the current methods of agriculture and livestock rearing are damaging the globe the former in an irreversible manner. Wood extraction, mining for minerals, and fossil fuels need an immediate reversal by developing renewable alternate energy sources which are merciful on carbon emissions.    

The perfect state did not last long after the arrival of invaders with ideologies that were not nature-centric, unlike the Vedic ethos. The growth of the human population though in a nascent stage at that time was slowly burgeoning. The advent of firearms, the use of wood for economic urgencies, the widespread prevalence of hunting among the privileged, and the later clearing of large tracts of forests to settle humans and support agriculture to make the rapidly rising population sustainable spelled disaster for our ecosystems. Today good crown cover survives in isolation and that too is under constant threat. The protected areas or PAs are in disconnect and a large number of them exist in complete isolation surrounded by a sea of humans all over.  

Conservation & Tourism 

The efforts to save the big cats continue, and in conservation, leitmotif tourism plays a major role. To be specific it is tiger tourism that is at the front of saving the species from extinction. This is done by according equity to the majestic animal and by providing crucial revenue for conservation activity. Another balance that tourism augurs are awareness of the complex web of life and its importance.    

The survival of tigers does not depend only on numbers; it is dependent upon a number of factors including political resolve, reduction in man-animal conflict, and unchecked linear infrastructure developments that go through the heart of our reserves. Saddled between popular expectations and the need to leave our ecosystems untouched the dispensation is in a quandary badly trying to find a middle ground that practically does not exists anymore after severe depredation. 

The crucial role played by the protected areas cannot be denied. It is this creation that has accorded space to the predator and protected its home from destruction by humans in the surroundings and those at the helm of economic game plays that the country has experienced right from the day of independence.     

The successful tiger reserves act as a breather for the species to overcome the challenges it faces in an effort to secure its existence on Earth. Unfortunately, the existential threats accrue from various quarters thanks to callous human nature and greed which tramples over all that the Earth stands for.  

Though there are fifty reserves in India not all are bustling with the endangered animal. Some exhibit a pathetic record of conservation due to negligence and prevailing conditions in the surroundings which are not conducive to the survival of the cat in the confines. 

But there are many reserves that are doing well and the species is regaining ground. The present beleaguered status of the tiger in India is due to the wanton destruction of its habitats, hunting, poaching, and man-animal conflict which is strangulating the species slowly but surely. These stressful factors needed immediate emancipation and Project Tiger conceived in the seventies has been active in saving the species. All PAs with tiger populations are under the aegis of this program in India that includes popular National Parks, WLS, and the reserves we so often visit to spot the majestic hunter.  Wildlife Protection Act 1972 has been crucial in protecting all life forms in the country and continues to do so in present times.       

Tiger tourism generates revenue for the parks and thus reduces the onus of funding on the State. Funds flow from other sources as well keeping the conservation initiatives alive. The industry as a whole contributes to revenue generation and provides employment to the locals and this results in empowerment as well. 

They are employed in the forest department, by the hotel industry as well as the small enterprise which supports local economies. Not all reserves receive a large number of visitors. The factors responsible for the surge of tourism in some reserves are good tiger sightings, sound infrastructure, and easy accessibility. This holds true for overseas visitors as well. In the present circumstance, Covid 19 Management will play a crucial role.       

Some of the best places for tiger spotting in India are few known ones. They are as follows:

• Kanha National Park
• Bandhavgarh National Park
• Ranthambore Tiger Reserve
• Corbett Tiger Reserve
• Tadoba Andhari Reserve 
• Pench Tiger Reserve 
• Panna Tiger Reserve 
• Periyar Tiger Reserve
• Nagarhole 

Though sightings may vary in these parks due to local factors generally the presence of big cats is robust thus increasing chances of sighting on tour. Make your plan according to the tour design and try to include at least two parks to enhance success. Remember to book excursion permits well in advance as entry into the reserves is limited.

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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

9755089323

Tiger Conservation - Dispersal Corridors

An ultimate action that is required for the conservation of tigers in India is the fortification of corridors present between the reserves/forests in order to facilitate dispersal.  This is crucial since the animal is by nature local migratory and many reserves that conserve the big cats are pathetically small. Facilitating gene transfer is also crucial in order to prevent inbreeding. 

Wildlife Corridors

Nothing is satisfactory on this front, and by creating protected areas we have absolved ourselves of further responsibilities especially as regard to ecological niche outside. By creating PAs which was a necessity and will remain for very long time we have downgraded or made irrelevant the status of land in the periphery or buffer which are on many instance viable corridors or if not they can be converted as viable or sustainable living quarters for the wild animals overflowing from the core of the PAs. Here the reference is not limited to area notified as buffer the extension that could in form of degraded land or scrub which could be enabling connectivity through continuity in whatsoever manner is also important. This gargantuan exercise could prove to be a deterrent for political initiatives especially whence translocation  of communities is concerned. 

There have been seemingly committed instances of realization of creating such vital corridors amongst the relevant departments with encouragement from MOEF of various ruling dispensations that came to rule and were relegated to the ballet box subsequently. With the priority shaped by the economics, a strong development agenda is in place, and thus the creation of additional protected areas in absence of indicators species the governments think they cannot afford anymore, especially whence it goes against the populist trends (voter appeasement) that are shaping Indian democracy. 

There have been numerous instances of violation of salient principles of conservation using lacunae in land management, especially in the case of corridors with no statutory recognition in this country. The violation of green patches of ecological importance and the slicing of reserves for linear development is quite evident. This is done by using statutory prerogatives and through the proclivity of the legal frameworks supporting the development agenda. Conservation and environmental agendas desperately requiring implementation are not of immediate concern to ruling dispensations past and present.  It seems at times the institutions created to thwart unplanned and unviable projects themselves are not convinced or favor rapid developments in the country. They are merely acting as agents to legalize all is well with certification. Corruption in the country has reached every nook and corner since independence making institutions lax or accomplices in heinous crimes against the environment. 

The big cats suffocating in small reserves with not much space for population increase and movement to nearby viable habitats is a reality. Wildlife populations are being an isolated increase in the country due to increasing structures bolstered by unchecked urbanization that is constantly devouring habitats and areas of ecological importance. Even within reserves, there is no alternative space for survival in case of random natural events like depletion of food, prey, fire, and deluge. Thus habitat fragmentation due to this unplanned development is posing a threat to biodiversity so far unscathed by humans and their priorities.    

The propensity to create or redevelop perfect biological corridors in order to facilitate migration, prevent gene isolation and preserve and enhance biodiversity is clearly missing in this country. In such a doomsday scenario, the only alternative solution left at hand of the concerned is the micro-management of multiple-use corridors to facilitate migration through remaining viable passages and prevent man-animal conflicts and poaching the scourge of wildlife conservation in India. This micro-management of multiple-use areas has been out of the purview in our myopic approach to conservation in India. Just creating small reserves is not the solution if we are really serious about preserving biodiversity and stemming the rot that is the species extinction in India.  

For greater understanding read ...sustenance of meta population in corridors...A  WWF Study.

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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 in Jabalpur in Summer.  

He can be contacted at: 

pateluday90@hotmail.com

Responsible Tourism and Tigers

Tiger Conservation Our Responsibility

Well, we are responsible for the sad state of tigers in India and the World over. While the conditions in India are improving with the increase in the population of big cats still the animals are nowhere out of danger. Yes, they are still endangered and still critical. Their population can slide down with a single step missed or a wrong foot forward. Such is the precarious status of the magnificent predator all over.  A lot depends upon our attitude towards this animal A Pride of India. A lot depends upon how the policies are shaped by those at the helm. A lot depends upon our sincerity to conserve this amazing creature on Earth and an utmost fascinating one at that. 

The seventies brought back this animal from the brink whence the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and Project Tiger were initiated by the Government of India. Butea there are lot many issues still present which create a threat to the species' survival. 

While human activities and our irresponsible nature are responsible for the plight of many life forms. The resultant climate change or global warming is affecting the survival of many life forms globally and mass extinctions have become a reality. Now pandemics have also become a reality and that too in a vicious form as seen in the case of Covid-19 or coronavirus.

Sustainable Tourism

So every responsible step we take we will end up saving many life forms. Tourism is a major economy in India that earns substantial revenue from overseas and local visitors. Thankfully in India, at least tiger tourism is regulated. Yes visit a tiger reserve and you will know. 

But responsibilities have to be on a wider scale encompassing all those involved. This would encompass you and me, tour operators and hoteliers, and the people around the reserves. All elements mentioned above can bring down the extinction rate significantly.

The responsible tourism principles advocate:

• Smaller Carbon Footprints
• Accommodating Locals in Jobs 
• Create New Eco-Friendly Livelihood Options
• Conservation of Natural Resources
• Rewilding 
• Community Initiatives 
• Contribute to Ongoing Community Initiates
• Empowerment of Local Communities
• Local Infrastructure Development Assistance
• Renewable Energy Initiatives   
• Maximize Purchase of Local Produce 
• Encourage Handicrafts Development
• Assist in Modern Dairy Farming 
• Assist in Horticulture 
• Proper Waste Disposal 
• Minimize Use of Energy
• Minimize Use of Natural Resources 
• Assistance to Forest Management 
• Compliance With Protected Area Guidelines
• Compliance With Excursion Rules

In times of restricted entries in the park, smaller properties that leave minimum carbon footprints should be encouraged. Community initiatives and infrastructure development like empowering schools and hospitals, training locals in various disciplines for a sustainable career, and more. All these activities are within the reach of resorts and tour operators with a robust balance sheets.    

Courtyard House Kanha Community School Initiative 

The battle to save the big cat is multi-fronted and holistic, the local communities and the management are in the frontline. As people of India, we too are responsible for our heritage and should act in tandem with green practices in the confines of our homes, neighborhood, and society.

Economy & Conservation 

When the wheels of the economy churn conservation are at their best and nothing churns it better than tourism. Without equity, none will survive including the tigers. Albeit the conservation of species is based on scientific principles in the contemporary World this will lose ground.

Local Labour - Road Works

This archaic perspective of tourism being the antithesis of species conservation is at best myopic and should be done away with.

Our Protected Areas

Take the example of protected areas most of which have now become intact ecosystems and an appreciable increase in the population of different species including the tiger has taken place. This has come about by creating an inviolate space and restricting human activities. An extensive protection mechanism helps ward off poachers, wood loggers, and their heinous acts. 

The contribution to the local economy is in all perspectives phenomenal and has to be seen to be believed. Take the example of  Kanha National Park. In the seventies, during my earlier visit, all the villages lined up along the road to Kanha, and inside were a spectacle of extreme poverty and cut off from the mainstream society....not now. Those who consider the economic upliftment here as minimal need to conduct a proper survey keeping in perspective the era before tourism became popular. The parks are receiving substantial funds due to tourism and that is impressive by all means.

The vision of detractors is poor and steeped in a conservative attitude. Many in the bureaucracy find tourism a nuisance and a hindrance in conservation activities, this is nothing but a colonial stance.

There are many NGOs mostly human rights activists who have little knowledge of how beleaguered ecosystems are repaired and how they function. They are not adept at understanding animal behavior, especially of species which are shy of man. They are well some of them are detractors of tourism and the core area concept reserved for other life forms to breed and survive in peace. They seek human footsteps everywhere. A very human-centric attitude like some of our politicians. 

Regulated tourism is an inseparable aspect of conservation now and the sooner we realize it the better. It accords equity to the tiger and other animals in the minds of people. It encourages local participation in the preservation and protection of their heritage.  Most important it runs the local economies and empowers people belonging to various strata. It helps remote communities join the mainstream society in India and bring them into the nexus of social benefits and related gains.

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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 in Jabalpur in Summer.  
He can be contacted at 
pateluday90@hotmail.com
09755089323
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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

Status Report 2018: Increasing Tiger Population in India

Count - 2018 Year--- 2967 Tigers

After a grind of many years, India finally experiences a meaningful increase in its tiger population. This is heartening after a dismal status that could have been well below fourteen hundred at the start of the Project Tiger Program in the seventies. The report is credible since a more scientific approach has been resorted to using diverse techniques including the camera traps.

A larger area has been brought under the scanner unearthing small unheard populations of the carnivore. The major benefit of this exercise of counting tigers is the unfolding of challenges in various or diverse landscapes. People's conservation efforts which come naturally due to traditional beliefs, myths, and ethos come to light thus a converging pool of conservation practices along with emerging scientific management principles. This ends up enhancing conservation logic and creating a consensus that helps put it into practice to save the tiger more effectively.  

Another factor that lends credibility to the report is the lack of fudging that went on in the past with some FDs exiting the management with a figure that was higher than before. This was farcical, and the population of the big cat in India was zooming well beyond its carrying capacity. This also showed the prerogative of the higher-ups and how easy was it to fudge.

Like the balloon that bursts whence a small pinprick, the truth came tumbling down after the debacle at Sariska and Panna National Parks two of the most prestigious tiger conservation units in India. 

From thirty-plus tigers within a short period, there were no tigers at all...all had been poached with extreme ease and comfort, and that too with the connivance of some forest officials as the newspapers reported. To counter the blame.. committees and inquiry commission all were set up more to whitewash the shameful than to find the truth. In our country, all horrific events eventually die down to be forgotten or to be sunk in ever delaying legal procedures and hordes of paper.  

Thankfully these events did not die down completely for it was the survival of one of the most charismatic species at stake, and India was at the forefront. But the most empowering factor was that India's prestige was at stake..the National Pride. The whole World looks at us as to what we are doing with our tigers.  

A comprehensive conservation model, ever-evolving was needed in the country, and thanks to concern and dedication we have been successful to a great extent in the cause. 

The debacle that happened at Sariska and Panna made it evident that India at that stage was ill-prepared to save the vanishing species ...the critically endangered tiger. 

The initiation of Project Tiger following the Wildlife Protection Act and the creation of Protected Areas with inviolate core lulled the management with complacency bolstered beyond reasoning by yearly fudging thus falsely increasing tiger numbers albeit only on paper year by year. 

Let us be honest fudging did not take place everywhere, the bloated figures were also due to the age-old methodology of counting the big cats. Many tiger reserves were in a nascent stage at that time and the conservation efforts then were lacking perhaps due to inexperience or lack of funds.        

Lets us say that tiger conservation in those days was in its infancy which was very true for the predator needed macro solutions and not many biological insights for its survival but the answers or solutions were not there at that time and if they did unfold the process was painstakingly slow. 

In the midst of the conservation efforts were some of our finest wildlife managers, and the dedicated staff in the reserves. International assistance also aided the conservation efforts. Institutes like WWF for Nature, WWI Dehradun, and a plethora of National and local conservation bodies now play an immense role in saving this beleaguered species.    

Space is a constraining factor with the human population bursting beyond the seam and dire economic challenge, an increasing tiger population is not an assurance of the animal's survival a Damocles Sword will always hang on the predator's head. 

Numbers though comforting and the increase much needed, survival of the tiger would always depend upon many factors and those constantly emerging...political will and conservation efforts being of utmost importance. 

Population dynamics in relation to the environment, humans, and our attitudes and policies will always be in a state of flux with population increase. The changing landscape and the encompassing environment will throw many new challenges and problems for saving the big cat. Are we prepared and well-focused?  Are we proactive enough?     

All that we do as a Nation, as a society, and even as individuals will have an impact on the survival quotient of the tiger.      

Tiger Status Report 2018

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Uday works as a naturalist in India and writes on tigers and their conservation.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
9755089323

Urban Wildlife: Love Thy Neighbours!

Not a single case of attack has been registered in Jabalpur that I know of? No leopard has attacked a man or killed one in Jabalpur, and yet they are shunned. These creatures have been living alongside humans in not only Jabalpur but many other towns. They have always been our neighbors and have guarded and preserved our forests for eons.  

The problem has arisen from our actions. We are encroaching upon natural lands the few that are left. Large swathes of forests have been ravaged by the mafia, just have a look around the peripheries of your town. Nobody Questions?   

A long time back, Jabalpur and the neighboring districts of Mandla, Katni, and Seoni Region were rich in the forest canopy. Not anymore, most of the wildlife in the reserve forests have been hunted a long time back. The forests have been badly ravaged. Though some wild animals still survive they do so in a precarious state...always at the mercy of humans in the surroundings. The axe is constantly upon the forests and the threat from poachers is real. 

Leopard -

Tirath Singh

The regions mentioned above still harbor wildlife including muggers and occasional tigers. The forests are used for commercial gains and do not have a protected area status like our National Parks. 

In the subsequent race for development, Jabalpur is not left alone. Highways, dams, increasing urbanization, and industrial development all are silently crushing our green lungs...the valuable forests, and water sources that sustain our lives as well. For ages, I have seen the town lose ground giving it to urban development that is spreading its tentacles menacingly. 

We ....when we see roads and construction that are taking our cities to the next century we forget what price has been paid for all that. Has an alternative been looked at? Any mitigating measures taken? Was it necessary in the first place? 

No, we do not look into all this...mesmerized we are by glossy hotels, gleaming malls, classic highways, and sophisticated residential areas. 

Connectivity and placement at a such high price could be redundant whence the paradigm changes! But the ecosystems that have been lost will never come back. Be assured!  

Cages have been set up by the forests department to capture and translocate leopards from their original home in the periphery of Jabalpur. This is ironic...the place where I live was frequented by tigers during Forsyth's time....read his book the Highlands of Central India.

Why does the forest department act in such a manner? 

The answer is simple...It is public pressure and political infringement. 

Do we stand up and protest this step? Do we pressure the news bureaus to create a positive image of other life forms - carnivores or reptiles? 

Do we take pride in our neighbors?

We are the culprits. Do we accept their presence as loving neighbors and do away with this threat perception we have been harboring for ages?

No we do not, complacent with the material wealth and ever-emerging luxuries we have forgotten nature at our doorstep let alone distant ecosystems.    

So many accidents happen but the cars are never banned... the latest models are introduced. Then why ban the leopard? The human fatalities at the hand of this animal are much less than that by fast cars!    

Encroaching upon forest lands and then removing the leopards surviving in degraded habitats is unjustified. But who cares they are animals after all!  

A Leopard Dies!

30/7/2017

Jabalpur

This was the second instance whence a leopard was found dead at Barha Forest Range near Jabalpur. The first discovery was that of a mutilated leopard body with paws, canines missing few months back.

The second instance that probably happened yesterday was reported by the locals. This was a young leopard cub probably one year old. Since the postmortem report is not out in the open the cause of the death could not be ascertained.  The presence of leopards in this area is a big surprise in spite of the available habitat. There is nothing there for them to feed on! May be the animals peripatetic by nature venture into such areas from pockets that still accord sustenance.  

Few years back a tiger was reported on a cattle kill in these forests. The animal was probably a vagrant in search of prey. There are none at all, the herds of chinkara and spotted that could be seen some years back have all been poached. Few barking deer do not make a meal for big cats. This leaves no option for them but to go for livestock and the ensuing man animal conflict results.  Some of the locals may be resorting too poisoning, or the killing could be the handy work of poachers or wood loggers which roam this forests in search of wild boar or anything that comes around. 

Neglected with lots of interference, the reserve forests are well known for their minor forest produce including tendu leaf. I have seen few poachers with guns moving around the forests without any fear, and wood logging is a frequent occurrence in these jungles. 

A part of the area was undertaken for some period by TFRI, an institution into forest research. A concrete wall was built for the purpose but this was for a limited period. Experimental plantations could be seen for some time - done for research. But anyway from what I hear the area is back to the concerned forest department.

Most of the visits are by birders like us since the Narrai Nala a perennial stream sustains many avian species. The stream is the lifeline of the ecosystem and supports impressive floral diversity in a limited area.          

The lean forests are mixed type with affinity with forests of Kanha and Bandhavgarh as they where once a part of the tracts which have been intensively inhabited by humans and extensively farmed. Small pockets scattered here and there comprise of good canopy rest need repairs badly. The area was full of wildlife during the period lasting up to late seventies perhaps but no more. A tiger could easily be sighted during that period but now literally not even a rat is visible.    

Well this is the story of most of the reserve forests in India leaving some of the protected areas aside. Once the country's finest ecosystems they now present only a skeletal picture - the wildlife is long gone. These are the pockets that sustained large population of tigers in India. They are devoid of all forms of wildlife in the contemporary period. In order to fetch the big cats out of peril these forest have to be reclaimed and due protection accorded. Such an action would offer extra space for the predators if carefully nurtured.

But do we have the resources and the will?         

Does Rise in GDP Absolves us of Environmental Hara-Kiri?

The ongoing destruction of natural places in lieu of development is at the behest of environmental concerns in India. We have already lost large tracts of forests and grasslands to human settlements thanks to burgeoning human populations. Clear felling was another blow that did further damage in earlier times.  

In present times managing our environment is a prerogative of the ruling class. Our policies are populist and marred by ever-growing human needs and concerns. Nature does not understand human inadequacies; it is sensitive, fragile, and perishable.  The long-term consequences of destroying the remaining ecosystems in the country are foreseeable. The unstable climate and plunging health indices are warning us to awaken before it is too late.   

A species lost is lost forever. The sad state of the tiger is an indicator of our environmental health not only that of the ecosystem that it is limited to.  The increase in the population of lions in Gujarat is nothing to be proud of in absence of requisite habitat. The World is losing a huge number of species along with large tracts of precious forests with each passing day.  This should act as an eye-opener for us in India.    

Uncontrolled mining and uncontrolled use of natural resources will certainly lead to disastrous consequences, and its effects could be felt by generations. This is much after the short-term benefit of the materials has come to an end. 

The greenhouse effect and the unstable climate in recent time is as a result of a sum total of our negative approach toward the conservation of nature. Cities reeling under choking smog and pathetic living spaces are a perfect example of resources being over overburdened.  

Economic growth is of utmost importance to the Nation of 1.25 billion people. But that does not negate environmental concerns and absolve us of committing hara-kiri.             

Kanha National Park - Man Killing - Indian Tiger Conservation Issues

Kanha National Park
Madhya Pradesh - India

It is always unfortunate whenever a human is killed by a tiger. The tragic circumstances always manage to raise eyebrows - even among the avid conservatives. Human life is precious but we have ordained it to be supreme and in the gluttony we have forgotten about other life forms.  

It is because of this attitude that animals like tiger, rhino and many more have lost ground and are on the last leg of survival. I have rarely come across stress on increasing land for other forms. Anyway India takes the lead but is this enough? 

Unlike the Asiatic Lion which has survived and come out of the brink of extinction in South Gujarat in India the tiger lags much behind. There are more than five hundred lion in 22000 sq km in Gujarat and expanding.

Though this has created problems for large agglomeration of rural and small town folks the acceptance seems to be remarkable. Man animal conflict persists but it seems that there are many sympathizers of the big cat hence assuring its survival. The lions are slated for relocation in Kuno Papur in Central India which has still not taken place thank to parochialism.     

The tiger has been nowhere lucky in reserves in India where it now survives. Stray tigers outside the protected areas have no guarantee of survival. While many reserves are still not adequately protected unlike Kanha, Ranthambhore etc the populations in well managed parks has increased marginally. This does not ensure the animals survival. 

Large inviolate protected areas are need of the hour with adequate protection. This seems highly improbable in a populous country like India. For well managed parks like Kanha the problem stems from buffer zone which is not inviolate much disturbed by habitation and free movement. 

Tiger By John Matthai

A wise step has been taken to bring a large patch of forest in Khatia Zone under tourism thus assuring any further degradation. The buck stops here or does it? There are options to create more tourism areas using other blocks of forests in buffer - if any viable. 

Wilful relocation with adequate compensation for reclamation and expansion of existing forest land are a possibility.  Such efforts have been successfully made  at Laldang near Corbett Tiger Reserve. 

But this is impossible at many destinations due to immense complexities - social and political.             

There are large number of villages at Kanha buffer. Many have been trans located from the core zone.  The humanity is accompanied with overabundance of live stock and redundant agricultural land claimed from forest land. Usually single paddy crop takes place. 

The successful conservation in the reserve has populated tigers in all canopies. The animals have moved in or enlarged their territory in all viable tracts of buffer forests. Like lions in South Gujarat they have learned to be inconspicuous in human infested corridors. But unlike their cousin the Bengal tiger cannot inhabit open country - and degraded forests with no prey.  Hence widespread habitation by their expanding populations seems improbable.     

Hence tragedy occurs.     

An old man went into the forest and was killed by a tiger. This seems to be an accidental killing since no more such incident has taken place.  But the implications of this act of intrusion resulted killing does not augur a great future for the tiger in India. Human encroachment is rarely put to blame which is squarely transferred to the beleaguered predator.    

The big cats are still endangered. Reclamation of forests and creating i

intact ecosystems is one of the solution.

Of Dignity and Honour

Tiger cub by Tirath Singh

The tiger cub is unaware of the plight of its species. Shrunken homes, brutal murders, diminishing prey base - the tiger cub knows nothing about. But as it will grow, it will realize that something is amiss. The struggle for survival is not only against the enemies in the jungle, a more vicious creature poses an indomitable challenge for the existence of its kind.        

For centuries man has been making inroads into land meant for other life forms. Human assault has been brutal with marked insensitivity to its kind. The tigers are aware of their land being usurped by humans but they know nothing about their diminishing numbers or of sliding statistics. As majestic as ever, even in defeat the tiger is facing its last hour on Earth with dignity and grace.    

The slipper in the tiger cub's mouth has been callously disposed off by a pilgrim on the way to Ram Janki Temple on the Bandhavgarh Fort. This is our attitude towards few remaining natural habitats. Will the tiger forage on plastic waste and discarded papers like our holy cows do? Will Bandhavgarh become a potential industrial area with loads of slipper factories all around? The reckless mining is already taking a toll of our reserve and protected forests. Will Bandhavgarh be next?        

These threats are real, in populist governance man's interest comes first even if the land belongs to the tiger and its kins. We espouse non violence principles as preached by the Great Mahatma...but do we practice? Do we read the five thousand years old Vedas that preach us to respect all life forms.  Nurture and nourish them, value their existence as much as we do for self.

Its all in our minds what we do? How we do? Our attitude contributes to dismembering of nature or its preservation. It is for each individual to think and act positively. The big cats can still be saved if we the people care for it assiduously. Plant a tree in your garden save wilderness in your backyard. Save natural habitats!  Live and Let Live!