Conservation: the New Killer
An interesting article published recently in the Open Magazine..
http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/conservation-the-new-killer
... and some fresh personal experiences :
My heart skipped a few beats with excitement. Good Signs!.. I bent down, straining muscles around my eyelids with an intensely keen gaze. It looked like very fresh and clear pugmarks from the night on monsoon-soaked soft mud on the forest trail. Hardened by a slightly warm day with a bit of sunshine. Pandyan, the guide sqatted down with a twig, and it measured almost the same sideways and top-to-bottom, almost fitting into a square. "It's a Male!", he declared. Then there are smaller ones as well. Cubs too! Female's hind pugmarks will have longer toes and top-to-bottom measurement, which weren't seen in those couple of yards of soft damp stretch.
Felt excited and lucky again next morning, to spot a female tiger's fresh pugmarks, and that of a sloth bear within yards among a lot of heavy hoofs strewn everywhere; Herds of Gaur/Indian Bison. Pandyan had claimed earlier in the morning that he did hear a tiger from the tent during the night.
That was from a monsoon-trekking and camping inside the Tiger Territory of Periyar Tiger Reserve last week, a program which goes by the name Tiger Trails!.
[Here is a WWF guide on Identifying Pugmarks ]
Was lucky and excited enough to spot at least 2 fresh sets of pugmarks on both days of trekking- first day of a male and a cub; the next day, of a female. Feeling good that they are Really There!..it's nice to at least know they are surviving, if not thriving.
Helped by a guide, who belongs to the rehabilitated and trained group of ex-poachers and those who illicitly, indiscretely, unsustainably collected cinnamon bark and other produce from protected forests; they are now part of community based eco-tourism programs. Periyar reserve that way is one of the better managed national parks in India.
In the last 4 months, happened to visit 3 tiger reserves in Central and South India. Kanha, Panna and now Periyar.
It was a long wait for me- It took more than 10years of trips, safaris and treks to the forests to finally spot one tiger in the wild!, at Kanha in Madhya Pradesh in April 09 It's known as a well managed National Park, and looked like one. Till then luck eluded me, to watch the most elusive cat going about majestically on its own terms and terrain. But that first spotting was from the safe perch on top of an elephant. For years, been wanting to watch one while walking in its territory.., respecting the laws of the jungle; To face such moments, knowing the primal fear inside would be more delibilitating an animal than the presence of a predator outside with enough prey in its protected territory. However, before this, from the big cat's scats fulls of rabbit- or deer- fur, to the claw-scars on barks and other territory markings of tigers, were only seen during treks inside the sanctuaries of the Western Ghats.
Safari at Kanha was followed by a visit to another of the Project Tiger reserve, Panna, near Khajuraho in Northern Madhya Pradesh, where rules seemed lax, and management less enthusiastic. A population of 20-something tigers were recorded there a decade ago. It's reduced to "less than 5" (as I was told, when queried repeatedly to various staff around. It all sounded a bit iffy, sensing from the ambience and detached attitude as far as animals are concerned; but seemed more interested in tourists and the money they bring! ). Couple of them added, 2 females are now brought in from Kanha to boost the population, both radio-collared and tracked. It was sad to read the news 2 months later in June, that in fact there are no tigers left in Panna at all- All poached!. Then why introduce 2 females?!. Apparently just to cover up, as the news article pointed. The officials and government couldn't care any less !
If only there were a strong leadership for the Ministry of Environment and Forests, a visionary who can think and act above politics and has a real feel for India's Natural Heritage and fast disappearing wilderness and its inhabitants! May be someone with the drive, energy and creative touch like that Amitabh Kant, who as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, in recent years spearheaded, convceived and implemented the highly successful and impressive !ncredible India ad campaign- many of which incidentally also uses Tigers as a bait to lure the hungry travellers. In July he launched a book about the campaign. 'Branding India: An Incredible Story'.
Apparenty some US diplomats are so impressed, they are planning to emulate the model of that ad campaign to boost tourism in US. It's another coincidence that US is a country where there are more domestic pet tigers than the number of wild tigers in India!. I couldn't believe it when I read an article on it some years back. Some estimates say there are 10,000-20,000 different kinds of big cats kept as pets in the US!!, many neglected. May be they can even emulate a ' wildlife sanctuary' with the animals 'rescued from people'!!, though with no skills to survive in the wild left in them but just to pose for tourists.
What an ironical world!!
http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/conservation-the-new-killer
... and some fresh personal experiences :
My heart skipped a few beats with excitement. Good Signs!.. I bent down, straining muscles around my eyelids with an intensely keen gaze. It looked like very fresh and clear pugmarks from the night on monsoon-soaked soft mud on the forest trail. Hardened by a slightly warm day with a bit of sunshine. Pandyan, the guide sqatted down with a twig, and it measured almost the same sideways and top-to-bottom, almost fitting into a square. "It's a Male!", he declared. Then there are smaller ones as well. Cubs too! Female's hind pugmarks will have longer toes and top-to-bottom measurement, which weren't seen in those couple of yards of soft damp stretch.
That was from a monsoon-trekking and camping inside the Tiger Territory of Periyar Tiger Reserve last week, a program which goes by the name Tiger Trails!.[Here is a WWF guide on Identifying Pugmarks ]
Helped by a guide, who belongs to the rehabilitated and trained group of ex-poachers and those who illicitly, indiscretely, unsustainably collected cinnamon bark and other produce from protected forests; they are now part of community based eco-tourism programs. Periyar reserve that way is one of the better managed national parks in India.
In the last 4 months, happened to visit 3 tiger reserves in Central and South India. Kanha, Panna and now Periyar.
It was a long wait for me- It took more than 10years of trips, safaris and treks to the forests to finally spot one tiger in the wild!, at Kanha in Madhya Pradesh in April 09 It's known as a well managed National Park, and looked like one. Till then luck eluded me, to watch the most elusive cat going about majestically on its own terms and terrain. But that first spotting was from the safe perch on top of an elephant. For years, been wanting to watch one while walking in its territory.., respecting the laws of the jungle; To face such moments, knowing the primal fear inside would be more delibilitating an animal than the presence of a predator outside with enough prey in its protected territory. However, before this, from the big cat's scats fulls of rabbit- or deer- fur, to the claw-scars on barks and other territory markings of tigers, were only seen during treks inside the sanctuaries of the Western Ghats.
Safari at Kanha was followed by a visit to another of the Project Tiger reserve, Panna, near Khajuraho in Northern Madhya Pradesh, where rules seemed lax, and management less enthusiastic. A population of 20-something tigers were recorded there a decade ago. It's reduced to "less than 5" (as I was told, when queried repeatedly to various staff around. It all sounded a bit iffy, sensing from the ambience and detached attitude as far as animals are concerned; but seemed more interested in tourists and the money they bring! ). Couple of them added, 2 females are now brought in from Kanha to boost the population, both radio-collared and tracked. It was sad to read the news 2 months later in June, that in fact there are no tigers left in Panna at all- All poached!. Then why introduce 2 females?!. Apparently just to cover up, as the news article pointed. The officials and government couldn't care any less !
If only there were a strong leadership for the Ministry of Environment and Forests, a visionary who can think and act above politics and has a real feel for India's Natural Heritage and fast disappearing wilderness and its inhabitants! May be someone with the drive, energy and creative touch like that Amitabh Kant, who as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, in recent years spearheaded, convceived and implemented the highly successful and impressive !ncredible India ad campaign- many of which incidentally also uses Tigers as a bait to lure the hungry travellers. In July he launched a book about the campaign. 'Branding India: An Incredible Story'.
Apparenty some US diplomats are so impressed, they are planning to emulate the model of that ad campaign to boost tourism in US. It's another coincidence that US is a country where there are more domestic pet tigers than the number of wild tigers in India!. I couldn't believe it when I read an article on it some years back. Some estimates say there are 10,000-20,000 different kinds of big cats kept as pets in the US!!, many neglected. May be they can even emulate a ' wildlife sanctuary' with the animals 'rescued from people'!!, though with no skills to survive in the wild left in them but just to pose for tourists.
What an ironical world!!
posted by Sujith at 7:30 AM
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