Future of Tigers in India

Some ten thousand years back tiger crossed into India from the cold climes of Siberia. It possibly migrated via IndoChina and entered the country to spread around many dense forest and grassland habitats.  It faced a little challenge since the prime predator preceding its arrival was the Asiatic Lion which incidentally had a different habitat preference. The leopard and other predators were no match for this magnificent beast.     

Tiger in Forest - Uday Patel

The predator spread far and wide in the subcontinent perhaps leaving a few States that did not contain the requisite habitat. The spread was gradual till the population came to more than a hundred thousand animals. The big cat flourished as a tertiary carnivore and settled down in the prevailing ecosystems well. That it could breed and multiply with ease confirmed that it had a strong survival instinct.     

For thousands of years, all went well but not in recent times of history. It faced a greater challenge from humans as they multiplied and spread. But the conflict was not daunting as there was plenty of space for all the species then. 

Tiger Reserve - Teerath Singh

It was the unchecked human populations...ever-expanding for more space and utilization of resources that put wildlife and their habitats under pressure including the tiger. Since the carnivore is an apex predator the impact was worse in its case.

As human settlements increased and resource utilization became unmanageable the negative impact increased tremendously as well. The big cat began to lose its habitat, and the ecosystems were gradually destroyed one by one. In dire need of space, humans began to invade habitats at a fast pace. 

Eventually, the grasslands began to recede and so did the forests. In the period of contemporary history, human populations in India grew at a rapid pace resulting in the unplanned acquisition of lands that were crucial for the tiger’s survival. Agriculture too expanded rapidly in recent times sounding a death knell for the homes of the big cats. Large areas of forests and a wide span of grasslands were taken over for human settlement and agriculture. Many species were lost and many are on the verge of extinction as a result.

After suffering decimation due to organized culling campaigns during the British Raj the remaining tiger populations were further being reduced drastically by modern-day hunters with guns. But the conversion of habitats into agriculture had a major impact on the tiger populations in India, especially during the post-independence period.    

Modern Day Challenges 

The human population in the country continues to grow and continues to acquire land for agriculture or other purposes, especially urbanization. The new threat is from development as perceived by the planners. Much under pressure to create a robust World beating economy the fast-expanding industrialization is threatening the very existence of remaining big cat habitats and other species in the country.  Mining, encroachment, and denudation of forests are slowly but surely suffocating the breath out of the big cats.     

It all depends upon what policies are shaped and executed. A lip service paid to conservation would be disastrous with habitats already decimated and surviving species on the verge of extinction. Conservation should be on the agenda of the governing bodies as well as the planners and executioners such that it evades the threat of rabid industrialization that can take place. We should also reckon that public participation is the need of the hour.

Climate change is being augured by the use of fossil fuels as well as the decimation of natural lands. This poses a certain threat to humans but it threatens the species' survival as well.  Our rivers the only source of drinking water, fresh air, and edible elements all are under severe threat.

Consumerism is posing a big threat to the environment. The frustrating plastic menace has come to note. The use of toxic chemicals like pesticides and toiletries is threatening the health of our environment and increasing the extinction risk of many life forms.    

Poaching is a threat that exists in various quarters where the big cats survive. Local poaching is very much there in some places while organized poaching has completely decimated populations in Panna and Sariska Tiger Reserves.

Demand for tiger parts in the Chinese system of medicine is proving to be an existential threat. This is correlated with the taste of exotic wild species in the cuisine of many countries. Pet keeping as a hobby is an unethical practice that is tolerated by many countries.  Activities like these encourage and help flourish the illegal wildlife trade. 

A large population in the country still considers wild species as inimical to human safety and interest. It is organized awareness campaigns and tourism that will perhaps mitigate these horrendous beliefs. If only the big cat could create equity for itself which it does to some extent due to tourism. But is this enough? Many erudite conservationists regret that the tiger cannot vote. Seriously!  

The Future

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It would be unjustified to say that the ruling dispensation does not care for the wilderness. It does and so did the past Governments. What is questioned is the degree of commitment overriding political expediences and hasty development practices.   

Conservation cannot be considered just as a deemed policy matter and ethical or moral obligation. Concrete and sincere efforts have to be made from all quarters to preserve and populate other life forms including the tiger.

The creation of the Project Tiger Program was a shot in the arm for the beleaguered specie. The numbers were precariously low whence this effort was launched. In spite of all the initial hurdles and organized poaching racket the tiger in recent times has gained ground.       

The creation of tiger reserves or inviolate protected areas (critical tiger habitats) accorded much-wanted breathing and breeding space for the other life forms including the big cats. But the preservation of the protected area is subject to many challenges ironically whence there is a dire need to accord greater space and protection to the tigers in India. The biotic pressure on our natural lands threatens the coexistence of other life forms hence the inviolate spaces should be zealously guarded.  

As per the 2014 Census using a new methodology, the figure arrived at was 2226 a rise over the earlier estimates. The 2018 census is going to result in indicating the survival of more tigers in India. But is this enough? 

We have a long way to go...   

2014 Tiger Census

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Uday works as a senior naturalist at Kanha National Park in India
He loves blogs on conservation and related issues
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
9755089323

Man eating tigers of India

Every since Jim Corbett published accounts of man eating tigers in Kumaon region, the phenomena of man eating tigers and leopards reached the World.

Tigers are top predators in the food chain. They are tertiary carnivores and hence indicator species of the forest ecosystems. The main prey base of the tigers and leopards are the herbivores albeit the big cats eat anything that walks on four legs. In Indian forests the tigers hunt spotted deer, sambar deer, swamp deer, wild boar, langur monkey and at times bison, elephant calf and porcupine. Tigers are known to predate on leopards but that is more of a territorial conflict than the quest for food.

Tigers are dense forest animals and avoid open or scrub forest. They need cover to hide since they hunt by ambush. They need lot of shade as they cannot bear the heat. Hence good prey base, dense forest cover and water is essential to a tigers habitat.

By nature humans are not included in tiger's food. The reason is that tigers are afraid of humans and avoid them always. The jungles of India once harbored a large number of tigers before deforestation, unchecked hunting and poaching took its toll. Susbsequently it affected the prey base or the population of the herbivores. The scarcity of prey base put the tiger under a major stress and some resorted to man eating by accident in these circumstances. In quest for food, tigers in forests with inadequate prey base wandered near human habitation. In search of food they began to lift cattle. In the conflict with man it sometimes resulted in accidental killing of humans. On discovering the ease with which humans could be killed the tigers emboldened with this finding went on killing spree where lot of humans lost their lives.

Tigers also turned into man eaters when injured by hunters to such an extent that they could not hunt their natural prey since their hunting prowess get affected. Unprofessional adventurous shikaris where the main culprits behind this man killing by tigers.

Once the tiger turns into a man eater it goes after humans with amazing efficiency. A man eating tiger is difficult to track and kill as it moves swiftly from one place to another in order to avoid alerting humans. A man eating tiger can cover a range of as much as hundred kilometers during the period. The incidence of man killing has come down drastically as there are hardly any tigers left outside prime habitats. The incidence of man killing by leopards is still higher as the leopard is more stressed out due to want of space and prey base.

Rarely do tigers kill by intent. There are accidental killings taking place by tigers and these rarely result in tiger turning into a man eater. The accidents happen if humans venture too close to an unaware tiger, a tiger on kill or to a tigress with cubs. The first instinct of tigers is to move away from human beings. But in certain circumstances this is not possible and the animal is forced to attack in self defense.

Tiger is a gentleman and follows the law of the jungle to a tee. Man eating under all circumstances is an aberration as even the most powerful of the tigers are known to fear man.

If tigers are conserved in India and their habitats are kept intact there would be no man killing incidences. The tigers face a road uphill, and their survival seems to be a deep uncertainty.

Labeling tigers as horrible and cruel man killers without understanding the real cause results in hatred being created for the animal. It is labeled of as vermin (as in earlier times) in minds of the human society which further escalates its chances of facing extinction in India and elsewhere.