Hounding the Tiger

Are the tigers of India being hounded to death?

This question started nagging me a couple of years back. Infact it was during my visit to Ranthambore Wildlife Sanctuary, just prior to Bill Clinton's visit. During my visit I witnessed a BBC documentary film team in action. With the full cooperation of the park authorities they had taken over all the spots that tigers were likely to frequent. They were equipped with jeeps, expert guides and sophisticated communication equipment. When a tiger was spotted the word spread and everyone, including the assorted tourists, zeroed on to the poor creature. The lord of the jungle was instantly converted into a circus animal ! If this was the scenario during a routine filming assignment, then one can well imagine the 'tamasha' that took place before and during Clinton's visit. Little wonder that the VIP tiger vanished thereafter!?

More well known people and organisations have made their money and reputations on the blood of the tiger rather than contributed to it's survival. While enhancing their own reputations, the resulting publicity has created a market for the tiger and it's products. Infact, mafias have got involved in the wildlife trade and poaching has increased all over the world. Let us look at some of the other negative aspects of such exploitation of the tiger:

1. The frequent presence of humans, the only threat to the tiger, results in the tiger ceasing to view them as a threat. This makes the tiger very vulnerable to poachers. This is especially true in India. All wildlife sanctuaries close just prior to the onset of the monsoon. This is the time that many of the field staff are given leave. Patrolling the forest becomes difficult due to the explosive growth of vegetation and the consequential disappearance of game paths. This is also the time when the poachers move in. The tigers are so used to the presence of humans during the preceding tourist season months, that they ignore the poachers to their own peril. This was very obvious a few years ago, in the case of Ranthambore, where the exposure of tigers to film crews ultimately contributed to their virtual elimination.

2. A young inexperienced tiger may have to make over a dozen attempts before he can bring down his wild prey. If such a tiger is disturbed while feeding it is likely to abandon the kill. This hungry tiger is now more likely to start killing easier prey i.e. domestic cattle. If it is disturbed while feeding on this kill then he will kill another domestic animal. This antagonises the local population who sometimes then resort to revenge killing of the tiger, mostly by poisoning. Incidentally, the exploitation of the tiger's habitat by cowherds also result in the same effect since tigress' with cubs, very young tigers who are learning to hunt and old / infirm tigers, are more likely to kill domestic animals in their vicinity.

3. A tiger on a 'kill' or a tigress with cubs is extremely dangerous and unpredictable. If disturbed they are likely to attack the intruder resulting in death. In such a case the adverse and ill informed publicity seals the fate of the tiger to spending the rest of it's days in a zoo or being killed under the false assumption that it has become a maneater.

4. During the tiger's mating season, which unfortunately falls in the beginning of the tourist season, they are understandably very restless and temperamental. Any sort of human interference during this period can disturb their breeding patterns. This could result in an impediment to the propagation of tigers. It is a fact that tigers seldom breed normally in zoos.

5. The disturbance caused to the habitat by the invasive intrusion of human beings, causes a ripple effect - akin to the effect caused by a boulder being thrown into a still pond. The tranquility of the forest gets shattered and all the animals are on the edge. Hunting for tigers and other predators then becomes doubly difficult till the forest once again settles down, which takes many minutes.

6. As mentioned earlier, the exploitation of the tiger through publicity has created a market for it and it's products whether it is in the form of books, photographs, films or products derived from it's dead body. The elite of the world to the tiger was just another wild creature of the forest now lust over it's products.

The hounding of the tiger is detrimental to it's survival in the wild. The basic idea behind 'Project Tiger' in India was to protect the whole ecological system along with the tiger since one could not exist, in it's totality, without the other. The time has come when any sort of intrusive activity must take a back seat the the natural propagation of the ecological system, including wildlife. However it is recognised that this idealistic scenario is not practicable in India without providing an alternative. One possible solution to the problem of the contradiction between eco-tourism and effective wildlife conservation is to create safari parks. These should be stocked with a variety of animals. Such parks, besides fulfilling tourist requirements, can also double as a haven for old, infirm and orphaned wild animals. Presently the wildlife act of India prohibits the creation of such parks. This will have to be looked into. On the other hand, greater areas of our protected areas (sanctuaries, biospheres etc.) should be kept absolutely clear of human interference.

Lastly, it is not just the tiger that is being hounded. Many creatures large and small suffer the same fate. Ironically, the rarer the species, the more it is hounded. Even the remotest areas are now accessible to rich tourists and other exploiters. It is high time that our wilderness areas and wildlife are protected like the crown jewels and the resources needed to protect them match those that protect other aspects of national security.