1411 wild tigers left - a sorry tale gets sorrier still

With just 1411 of them left in the wild, the Indian tiger is in dire straits. The real picture is even bleaker considering that these are 2008 figures and poaching incidents increased greatly last year. TV and other media campaigns are being conducted . However, do these efforts really have the desired effect? How many would be poachers will be discouraged by these measures? Masses want to do something about the issue but does not really know how to do it; hence they are doing what they do best: talk. Unfortunately, the issue needs more than just talk. From Rs.184 crore in FY 2009-10, the budget allocation for Project Tiger has actually been reduced to Rs.154 crore in 2010-11 though this is much more than the Rs.72 crore sanctioned in 2008-09. The sanction for integrated development of wildlife habitats stands lower too at Rs.62.5 crore. That figure is less than the cost of five T-90 tanks of which India is buying hundreds. Just Rs.6 crore have been earmarked for control of wildlife crime, actually an increase from Rs.4.08 crore in 2009-10. Dhoni gets as much to play in the IPL. On top of it states have consistently failed to utilize even these funds. No wonder that many of our tiger reserves now have the tiger only on their signboards. Usually around 50 years old and armed only with a lathi or occasionally a bolt action rifle, a forest guard is no match for a poacher armed with sophisticated weapons. If the guards still do any guarding, they must be saluted for their bravery. We have also earned the animosity of the forest dwellers and tribals towards the tiger by taking their land away for the creation of reserves. In the areas around the reserve forests where they coexist with wild animals, the government has treated them shabbily and little development has occurred in their villages. For them the tiger is an animal that has lost them their traditional land and one which kills their cattle every now and then. By not conceding that the people around tiger reserves are essential for the success of the project and instead earning their ire, the traditional values of these people towards wildlife protection have been diluted. I doubt if the 'Save Tiger' campaign is reaching any of them right now.

There should be special tiger protection forces that are as skilled as military personnel. While these are already being created, the requirement for technology, equipment and manpower is far more to beat the poachers. The people around the forest reserves must be given incentives for tiger protection and must be compensated swiftly and handsomely by the government for crops destroyed or cattle killed by wild animals. Most importantly, being territorial in nature, the tiger needs more land to roam. Until this is provided, the man tiger conflict will continue.

Abhinav Choudhry