Tiger Conservation: Rebuilding Our Ecosystems

As environmentalists warn us the 6th Mass Extinction is on the way. This is a certainty until unless we do something to stem the rot and put brakes on demise of many species.

How?

There could be a vast cornucopia of solutions but let us pay greater attention to what we have in hand...and that is the remaining ecosystems. The critical tiger habitats are limited in area but they are surrounded by badly fragmented and overused lands surviving under constant threat from human encroachment and biotic pressures. Subject to overgrazing by the livestock, they offer stiff competition to the wilderness that prevails. The periphery of tiger reserves, they are called the buffer because this land is crucial for the survival of the tiger in India. As a matter of practice or conservation technique we have to tackle each and every factor/element imperative or influential in the survival of the big cats in India.   

These core verdant lands are complete ecosystems albeit drastically reduced due to human activities. In India, most of these areas come under the aegis of Project Tiger and are notified as tiger reserves. Also called protected areas they are a blessing for all life forms with beleaguered existence. The vital inviolate core offers a place for the successful breeding of neglected life forms and protects them from ever-expanding agriculture and marauding humans' ways.     

Buffer zone management become crucial in the current circumstances of dire need. The viable lands where all life forms can live and flourish had been badly reduced due to urbanization, encroachment, agriculture, and in some places commercial activities and manufacturing. The regulated ecotourism efforts in the buffer have proved to be beneficial and fetch revenue and keep the areas under the scanner besides development initiatives for the upkeep of the ecosystem. It provides employment to local laborers, guides, and drivers.  

In most of the buffer zones especially those surrounding the major tiger reserves protection is accorded. Patrolling is a means of according physical protection to these lands but the biotic pressure, culling of trees, and encroachment by agricultural practices to some extent continues illegally.       

In the buffer limiting human population and limiting land occupancy (strictly) to the original inhabitants is imperative and so is the need to discourage commercial activities therein. This sounds discriminatory but then we have to understand the right land use patterns taking these steps would mean large areas secured for the forests, grasslands, and rivers the natural earthly phenomenons. We cannot put these lands to use for greed as well as for our economic survival because we have enough that is beyond repair - taken over by agriculture, settlements, and manufacturing not forgetting the usurpation of forests due to reckless mining.   

The time has come for extensive in-situ conservation, especially to rewild the areas with the potential for regeneration like the buffer zones with extensive plantation drives using indigenous species. In order to ameliorate the damage done we have to take some steps that could redefine land use patterns in India. Limiting human populations and livestock - most livestock is unproductive anyway - is a priority...if not the complete trans location of people. This approach may be seen as regressive or discriminatory but in a later period, this will help check climate change...turn it favorably for the existence and continuation of life on Earth...and yes the ecosystem repair efforts will provide employment to the indigenous communities the right way. 

It would be unfair to say that protection offered and plantation drives are not being done by the present dispensation but this has to be done on a larger scale. The departments can rarely influence the scale of activities required due to political and administrative constraints hence public pressure is required in circumstances like these.  

We have to learn to speak or express what we deem to be right in the management of our wilderness and the Nation as a whole. Sitting mutely will unfold the disaster in making with a ferocity that will eventually destroy life on Earth. The time has come to tackle climate change seriously with full-scale efforts. 

Plant a few indigenous plants in your home that is the right way to begin.

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Uday blogs on conservation and the environment. He is a freelance naturalist in India.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
9755089323

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

Tiger Conservation: Unspoken Sentinels The Forest Guards

I remember a long time back whence I was freelancing with Tigerland Resorts at Kanha National Park, I was assigned a group of schoolchildren from New Delhi. The group also included teachers from the DPS School who obviously were the caretakers for the tour. 

The tour comprised safaris and lectures on wilderness, a sort of awareness campaign full of fun and interesting experience for the children. 

On the first night, the teachers refused to sleep in their rooms facing the jungle. Well, the staff was instructed to sleep in front of the doors and the matter was taken care of. 

"We will be eaten by a tiger!"

Dead tired, I promised to discuss it with them the next day. All I had to state the next day was the fatalities, murders, road accidents, and robberies. psychopaths, nuts, killers, fast cars, and blah blah dangers which they confronted daily or rather each given moment in the Metro.

"It is unlikely a tiger would kill you if you sleep here in the room or venture out on foot every day. The rural folks trudge into these forests for collecting wood every day without fear. The forest guards move alone in these forests to protect wildlife.

People die because of accidental encounters or due to deliberately impinging on the animal's private space. But these incidence are rare as a matter of fact very rare. You are  a thousand times safer here, so please all through your stay be at peace." They did!      

The true sentinels are the front-line staff the forest guards, deputy rangers, etc. They are the people who traverse or scour through the forests on foot looking for snares, traps, local goons, illegal minor forest produce collectors, and yes sophisticated poachers and ultras. That is a huge burden on two small feet and a feeble body.

Forest Hut & Guards

In the deep confines of the forests, they trudge on foot, on bicycles, and on motorcycles. In the tiger land, this would be an extreme adventure for most of us, not for the guards, they are on duty that need extreme courage, sincerity, and dedication. Coming across tigers, other wild animals, and reptiles is frequent, for some it may be on daily basis. But they are well versed in the ways of the wild and keep themselves safe.   

Whence we revel in the ever-increasing tiger numbers these are the people who deserve the awards and the glory for successful tiger conservation in our country facing extreme odds, and adversities of unparalleled nature whence compared with dwellers in the cities.  The threat is not from animals, the threat is from intruding humans, poachers, criminals, etc. As stated above. 

The threat from animals is of a different nature head-on charge is a rarity, they have to avoid accidental encounters the most which the guards are good at. An odd aberrant behavior may be the reason for a tiger killing a guard. Yes, this does happen but once in a blue moon...but we humans are more likely to die of accidents, criminal charges, or an act of terrorism.

We especially the reporters should abstain from vilification of wild animals in case of tragic encounters, we are no longer in their food chain and accidental killings should be seen from a rational perspective. Habitual man-killers are anyway incarcerated or killed.

Sometimes the forest guards have to face the wrath of the locals whence a big cat kills a man who has come too close. Yes, most of such killings are in self-defense whence a threatened tiger finds a man very close for comfort, or whence villagers try to snatch away the kill.        

Like our soldiers who face the violence of the worst kind, the sentinels being discussed here also face threats to their lives...remember they are unarmed. In some of the tiger reserves, the threat is from ultras while that from organized sophisticated poachers too is prevalent albeit not extensively in India. As a precaution, the foresters move in a group or in the company of another. But whence occasion arises they have to move alone.

The hard life of labor and constant patrolling -even in challenging weather day and night- is what our foot soldiers do in the tiger reserves keeping it safe so the wild animals thrive. They safeguard the ecosystem as a whole. They also supervise small construction works like building dams, roads, waterholes, canals, etc. The foresters are responsible for the safety and well-being of the laborers who are involved in the construction works.

They are the virtual arms of the mechanism that keeps the reserves alive and kicking. Like the patrol elephants, they keep an eye on the wild animals and the forests and report to the higher officials or the camps nearby for assistance or attention.   

Most of the foresters live in patrolling huts or fire-watching camps deep inside the forests. For items of basic necessity, they depend upon feeble supply chain mechanisms or acquire it themselves whence they visit the small towns nearby.  They are always at the beck and call of any emergent situation that arises in the deep confines of the forests.

Far away from emergency care and their families, they live in isolation but nevertheless fulfill their duties without fail. They are the stars of the conservation units and deserve appreciation and all benefits that can be possibly accorded to them.

Some of the foresters are excellent animal trackers and have an in-depth understanding of animal behavior. They are very good at recognizing the floral elements present in these biodiversity hubs. I have been interacting for many years with our front-line warriors and never felt a lack of resolve or spirit amongst them to protect the magnificent ecosystems that the country has inherited.

The forester's job involves multitasking for they can work as clerks, tourism supervisors, maintenance crew, hosts for filmmakers and esteemed guests, and assist the veterinary staff whence the need arises.

Hail The Heros!!
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Uday freelances as a naturalist and loves to write on tiger conservation and environmental issues.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
09755089323

Tiger Conservation: Urban Assault

Rising urbanization all over the World is seen as a gauge in a positive perspective...a gleaming example of development. 

An article on the UNDP website terms mega cities as centers of learning, culture, and innovation. Besides this, it surmises that these population silos are wealth/resource generators and production centers, and therefore of immense importance to human settlements connected with them. It also mentions that these silos boost holistic progress, look after the well-being of the societies, address poverty, tackle pollution, and create infrastructure.  This is UNDPs own view of urbanization which many may not agree with.

Urban Ghetto

Chaotic Traffic

The Rat Race

This is a constricted perspective of human development indices because we do not seek more pliable alternatives. The article does mention the poor quality of urban development that creates economic disparities, pollution, further poverty, hardship, and diseases, and most of them are environmental disasters. 

We all have realized this anomaly prevailing in the major cities bursting at the seams due to overpopulation and unchecked migration from suburbs, smaller towns, and now deep interiors. 

Yes, we all know this except the developers and those who reap huge benefits in terms of political agenda and the businesses amassing wealth. These are the privileged ones that unfortunately take to the helm and become city planners, developers, ruling politicians, esteemed citizens, and active propagandists that never fail to advocate reckless urbanization at any cost.  

The fall out of urbanized ghettos is limited to their surroundings and to some extent to the neighborhoods. 

Think carefully! 

In order to sustain one infrastructure another extended or connected is required...and then another till the network pathway leads to the deep interiors where our rural societies subsist on the bare minimum with rational utilization of natural resources, and where most of our tiger reserves or natural places are. 

The last leg is the micro-urban center greatly susceptible to unplanned and unchecked development or linear development to be precise. It is these micro-urban centers that eventually continue to expand haphazardly denuding and eventually swallowing the reserves.   

Over looked and accorded lesser importance our tiger reserves or other ecosystems are most susceptible to this developmental threat. The phenomenon is universal pan India and is rapid. 

In Project Tiger we have an ambitious tiger conservation program that is experiencing daylight at the moment...but the impending space constriction and environmental degradation due to rapid development is going to hinder the progress in time to come. 

We are so enamored by modern development as we see in this World that we have forgotten to set limits and checks which are of utmost importance. Though the inviolate core areas are safe at the moment, the stress is on the buffer (surroundings) where the stringent policy of protection and no commercial construction should be well in place. The region surrounding the core faces huge biotic pressure from human intrusion and livestock, and the forests are nowhere secure with wood logging and sporadic poaching. The settlements here are subject to expansion and the agricultural practices are old age with low yield. An alternative more environmentally friendly alternative for agriculture should be looked for as soon as possible. One solution is to promote the nonwood handicraft industry since some communities have proficient artisans. This is being done in many places but needs greater impetus.    

The vision of wildlife and humans subsisting in harmony living in the same space  is at best romantic and purely chimerical. This idea defies practicality in modern times with limited span of ravaged forests and grasslands. Some wild animals are too sensitive to thrive along with humans anyway. And then we know the ways of contemporary human society.   

At many tiger reserves due to peer pressure, tigers move into the buffer, and some have become permanent residents. With a sparse prey base, weak crown cover, and increasing tiger population the problems are further compounded.

Munna Tiger With Kill _ Gopal Desai 

Meanwhile, the urban assault continues relentlessly with no possibility of stoppage. This is a challenge that wildlife managers and the field staff will face till some mitigating measures are put in place.

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Uday freelances as a naturalist and loves to write on tiger conservation and environmental issues.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
09755089323

Importance of and Understanding Niche Formations in an Ecosystem.

Tiger reserves or National Parks everywhere are complex ecosystems with a simple overview. Writers or wild lifers in India describe the reserves as comprising of types of forests, grasslands, dominating Sal or teak, and the water formations in form of water holes, streams, and rivulets all woven together.

This is a simple overview that makes us look through these writers' prism forgetting the immense complexity of ecosystems which include niche habitats or rather microhabitats. The neglect would mean a loss of biodiversity both in flora and fauna. 

Pandanus or Kewra Break at Bandhavgarh

Hence the ecosystems also comprise uncommon niches with an abundance of special floral elements and contain a unique geography that comprises a catchment, rivulets, streams, ponds, swamps, sand, minerals, plain or scattered rocks, unique grass, micro life forms, more. The appearance of vegetation and geological formation is unique but they can also pass off as a dense patch of forest.  To make out a niche one need not be a biologist or a geologist etc. A close look is enough. 

Thus in a small spot or place, a complex ecosystem exists which sustains unique life forms, water in the dry season, shelter, food, and often climate control, tigers and other mammals, reptiles, insects, and birds find succor or life sustenance environment during the time of stress and even on regular basis. 

These are important and fragile components of life support systems that if damaged or broken can have a disastrous impact on the ecosystem as a whole. The absence of this niche which is often due to obliteration or neglect is not a good sign and will eventually lead to the disintegration of the reserve or National Park in time to come.


A similar life-supporting effect or preservation could be brought about by the presence or grouping of insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals in a reserve. 

To make it clearer even within the large confines of your house, garden, office, or factory premises such a niche can exist. Whence destroyed you would discover the absence or diminishing of a species of flora or insects like butterflies and birds if you are a nature lover with a keen sense of observation. This is precisely how unplanned urbanization destroys biodiversity in our towns and cities.  This is another reason why linear development is often criticized or cautioned in India by acclaimed conservationists.    

In case of violent intrusions by humans and livestock in areas not protected as inviolate or out of bounds the diversity diminishes. Many species become extinct and the environment as a whole suffers. Though well preserved in the core of our tiger reserves they are conspicuous by their absence in the buffer. This is due to constant biotic pressure especially caused by livestock, denudation, logging, and many other factors.    

Any visitor if vigilant during the safaris in our tiger reserves would make out such spots albeit they are often presented as picturesque or described as places containing water etc. That is why it is important to be observant during safaris and not only chase tigers and another megafauna. 

Thankfully our wildlife managers and field staff of the reserve are in the know of these niche or microhabitats and their ecological value. That incidentally makes habitat preservation extremely complex ...it is not only saving the trees or grassland.    

This is another reason why indicator species like the tiger have become extremely important. The presence of an animal at the top of the food chain is an indication of a healthy ecosystem and a certain proof of the presence and well-being of these niches or microhabitats. 

We are the worst whence it comes to the preservation of our ecosystems because of our unmindfullness, greed and a hording mentality.       

Though I am only a naturalist, I always advocate that tourists must visit tiger reserves with an inclination to learn sincerely so that we can better shape our surroundings and the environment as a whole. Children should be encouraged in this endeavor more and more for they will be the policymakers of tomorrow. Wildlife managers or field biologists in our country should organize camps to educate our masses. This is how the greater benefit will accrue out of eco-tourism globally especially whence there is an unrelenting onslaught on our diminishing ecosystems.   

Micro Habitats

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Find descriptions and photographs of microhabitats in Bandhavgarh National Park in Central India.

http://www.tigersafaribandhavgarh.com/ZoneinBandhavgarh.html

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Uday is a naturalist and is passionate about the conservation and well-being of tigers in India. He loves to write on these issues on his blog and elsewhere.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
09755089323 

Tiger Conservation Threats & History of Linear Development in India

When the British conquered India the exploitation was mostly of resources. They were physically perhaps not as brutal as the earlier invaders which were looters, Mogul megalomaniacs, bigots and usurpers. They did not sack the local populace resorting to senseless killings, rape, loot and forced conversions. Those were times of colonization and there was a purpose! 

The Raj was a manifestation of an advanced and comparatively modern civilization shaped by the industrial world of Europe. The natives were no match for them and the subjugation was complete. 

The disparity that prevailed was absolute because the Sahibs were contemporary with overpowering cultural traits, elite, educated, and yielded power that came easily with their superior force. The governance was aided by employment of  natives in various disciplines and the satraps due to whom a handful of them could easily rule over India. They had mastered structured governance in their domain, albeit India too had a structure in place being a Vedic civilization dating five thousand year but we were helpless in front of such overbearing. During the Raj, the rulers writ ran large. 

Coming straight to the point in order to exploit the natural resources better, an infrastructure was required to be put in place. With a technology considered modern in those times, they invaded the hinterland all over. This was the culmination of disastrous unplanned infrastructure building were  only thing that mattered was reaching and unearthing the natural resources and dispatching them to their homeland. 

The aim was extracting maximum economic benefit of having a jewel in the crown - a subjugated civilization that was enormously rich in natural wealth and yet timid and impoverished. With modern infrastructure in place, the enslaved country was being milked incessantly.

In post independent India we benefited from the infrastructure created by the British...and till this day we are following in the footsteps of our erstwhile masters. Though the rulers have left in the year 1947 we are still living with the slave mentality which we inherited during centuries of foreign subjugation.  

We have lost our original ethos and our civilization is badly corrupted by traits of external civilizations that at the most has made us submissive and adaptable babus.  

Post independent India, the incursion into our hinterlands became linear development a contemporary terminology that describes invasion of our lands in lieu of development. We have not hesitated to emulate our erstwhile rulers by doing exactly what they did. 

In this assault on our natural spaces we are empowered to a great extent by education in foreign language and rigidly following the Western ethos, a civilization parasitism that is simply incomprehensible and irrelevant till this day.      

1. During the Raj we had lost a large chunk of our natural spaces, and denudation and plantation of commercially viable species had already altered the remaining forever. When the rulers left, we did everything that they should not have done. And we still continue...the linear development that is taking a heavy toll of our tiger reserves, National Parks and other ecosystems continues unabated.  

The tiger is on verge of extinction so are many other species, we have no count of how many species that have become extinct, and the extent to which our forests have been denuded. Tigers need inviolate space to breed and live. But is there more space for them in this country? How many big cats does our land mass can support? Will development impact or alter our tiger reserves negatively? These are the questions conservationists are raising. 

Our geography has changed and become non-viable, climate change is affecting us badly with greater  ferocity every year, carbon footprints are enlarging every year, heat, water shortage, pollution and other life threatening factors are on increase. Yet we are in race for development that we perceive is good for us. 

Linear infrastructure development creates opening and easy accessibility to remote regions which were in an inviolate state since evolution due to inaccessibility. This impacts the linear connectivity and prevents corridor formations or makes existing corridors non-viable. Overall habitat loss and or fragmentation of our ecosystems can happen as a result of intrusion. Intruding humans can also cause problems like damage to the fragile species web of life, poaching and wood logging besides according access to foreign or alien species to overpower. Wind erosion and fires can be deadly and so can be territorial changes brought about by man. 

India is on a spree of infrastructural development, and the haste can prevent or discourage the alternative, a less damaging methodology.  The impetus on road building, new settlements, urbanization and extraction of natural resources, power projects, dams etc are  like a death knell for species survival and conservation of our natural spaces.   

It is imperative for the Nation to develop sound policies that in spite of infrastructural development circumvent or safe guards our natural spaces and preserves crucial resources besides creating a harmonious environment good enough for our well being and maintain an equilibrium.
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Uday works as a naturalist in India and writes on tigers and their 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

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

Of Tourists & Tourism in Our Tiger Reserves

Kanha National Park sets a fine example of how to manage tourism in the core area.

This sentence above is enough to get the gist of the article to follow. I am pro-well-regulated tourism and this article is pro-tourism. Those who disagree should read more carefully. 

Thankfully destructive hunting days are over, and better alternative tiger tourism has taken over. I am unabashedly using the phrase tiger tourism albeit a holistic approach depends upon how the industry presents a visit to the reserve and of course our own attitude. Tour operators and hoteliers should present safaris as holistic comprising many aspects of the reserves. They should not guarantee tiger sightings at all and promise a more fruitful and wholesome experience.  

Swamp Deer

A singular obsession for sighting tigers should not be there but it will remain, for some species attraction is natural and fascination with a specific animal or bird is quite obvious. Ironically many of the initiated follow the path of tiger obsession including some of the senior officers, VIPs, and other privileged souls with an interest in photography and with all the prerogative in their control. 

This singular obsession with our National Animal is natural, thanks to the status that has been created in the past. That it is at the top of the food chain and an apex predator naturally incurs a lot of interest among visitors. It is not only the morphological attraction, the historical pathway that has reduced the footprints of this magnificent beast making it rare and endangered. And hence an object of desire.

Tiger

The animal's own charismatic/behavioral appeal is responsible for its obsession with the carnivore. For some association with Hindu religious identities or myths is the reason for attraction though much less a reason as compared with others. The animal is part of many myths and stories and has inspired many writers too. Kipling Stands out! Globally there is a desire to see this animal at least once in a lifetime. What is wrong?   

I have read articles by the erudite that lament the fact that the tiger cannot vote! This is a simple summation of its standing in our country and elsewhere. 

Jeep Safari

Why cannot people see the tiger and admire it in its natural surrounding? 

Those who advocate a ban on tourism or limit it to impractical means do have a right to express an opinion but the positives far outweigh the negatives.  

Does not tourism and the popularity of the carnivore create equity that we understand and the politician certainly do?. 

Without tourist (read public) appeal the status of animals would not have been a big botheration for those who consider it as a speck on the horizon. There are many at the helm who consider conservation as an irritant...I hope you get the point. 

With ubiquitous warming and subsequent climate change, environmental concerns should be imperative that those at the helm should be well aware of. To make matters worse global ecosystems are being ravaged on a massive scale ....and tourism has nothing to do with this at least in India.  

It is the importance/obsession or fondness for the animal among the common man that propels the administration and our policymakers into sincere action. The vote bank should lend a voice for better conservation practices and a concern for our wilderness. To negate public pressure in this country is like acceptance of incompetence and negligence with gusto. 

Public pressure matters and will continue to matter. The dreadful remedy that thwarts the rise of public concern is to curtain all that is happening by barring public access like in the totalitarian states, and in this case, thwarting sustainable tourism. In our country, a closeted approach is often followed as regards the management of things. 

Pertaining to my first sentence tourism is conducted as per rules and regulations at Kanha National Park. This I have been observing for more than two decades. My first visit to the park was probably in the year 1972 or maybe earlier. 

A few of the tiger reserves which I will not name since my visitations have been limited there, the safaris are horribly managed and an atrocious attitude follows - there is literary a free for all. This is why tiger tourism is looked down upon but this does not stand true for all reserves.      

Setting A New Tourism Paradigm

We as the public have to understand that we must cooperate with authorities and strictly follow rules and regulations of the reserves. A singular obsession with the big cat does not deliver much, a holistic approach will really be interesting and will create greater awareness.  

The reserves have so much to offer so indulge in birding as well as in megafauna and take interest in the microcosm that prevails in these biodiversity hubs. Enjoy every aspect of the reserve, and follow the guide and the naturalist. All creatures big and small are beautiful and worthy of admiration hence making your safari holistic. 

Do not encourage to break the rules in your haste to see the tiger or other megafauna. This is a problem in some reserves. 

Stay at responsible resorts which follow green principles. Those that do not or have encroached should be shunned. Overall keep your carbon footprints small by avoiding materialism or things of luxury during your stay. Remember sustainability counts use water carefully, do not use materials that are not biodegradable, do not waste food and consume fewer fossil fuels and rely on alternative energy.  

Tigers perhaps will come out of the endangered status one day and we will continue to have an opportunity to look at nature's amazing creation along with other creatures in their habitats. 

Let us be wise and restrained!

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Uday works as a naturalist and loves to blog on conservation and environmental issues. 

Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com

9755089323

Tiger Conservation: Elephant Migration in Central India

Mystery Migration Indian Elephants

Elephants have been recorded in Central India or Madhya Pradesh historically and evidence in form of craftsmanship (Artifacts) is suggestive of their presence rather strongly well back in time. Though no earlier in sightings have been recorded in MP except incursions in Surguja District now a part of neighboring Chhattisgarh State, a very recent surprise incursion has taken place into the dense confines of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve a part of Central India. Recent news is suggestive of their movement into Kanha National Park as well some 200 km from Bandhavgarh.    

Wild Elephants

The reason for migration would be competition among the herds and or search for new pastures. These mammals have an indelible memory bank and finding erstwhile routes is not difficult. Their instincts could also have led them here. Already two calves have been born at Bandhavgarh.   

Understanding The Ecology & Impact

Elephants are megaherbivores and consume more than 100 species of plant matter including tree barks, leaves, and soft branches. In general, they are grazers and browsers and food selection is due to abundance and season. In one day an adult may consume about 150 kgs of plant material including tall grass. 

Now wild elephants' arrival in Central Indian Forests is good news but there is a catch. If these pachyderms have found back their erstwhile home their arrival though not marked with pessimism will be a matter of some serious study. Their arrival has to be seen with a bit of caution. 

The reason for this circumspect approach is due to the shrunken ecosystem that now prevails in the present as compared with the past whence there was no shortage of forest cover. In these times competition for fodder would be serious in areas with robust prey bases.

The pachyderms are rapacious feeders and consume almost hundred and fifty-kilo grams of food comprising of plant matter, bamboo, and grass. Though the number of migrants is small compared to the area, the increase in population and further migration could add to immense biotic pressure and pose a severe threat to herbivores which cannot compete with these large mammals.     

In time to come animals like Swamp Deer, and spotted deer would face severe pressure the former being a total graminivore. The pressure would also be upon the bison or gaur. These animals constitute the main prey base of the tiger. Hence tiger breeding will be reduced for there is a correlation between the availability of food and procreation among the carnivores. During the summers there will be increased competition for scarce water as well.

All this may not happen immediately but will certainly happen in the future. It is up to the field biologists to make an extensive study and come to the right conclusion. All factors have to be taken into account and carefully calibrated.   

It is too early to predict the outcome since the pachyderms may prefer to stay in an area where they may not create competition or they may migrate or make local migration reducing the area of impact.. If they begin the migration process with a period spent here they may not cause pressure enough to create competition. 

With a massive clearance of forests, the paradigm has changed and the long-term impact will have to be taken into account. In areas already sustaining large populations of elephants, the plant matter consumed without exhausting the ecosystem may not be present in the tiger reserves of  Central India.

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Uday works as a naturalist and blogs on conservation in India.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com