Home
Contributed Articles
Focus On
Maps
PhotoGallery
Equipment info
Buy/Sell/Rent Stuff
Site Map
Contact Us
|
For some reason or the other, a part of
mankind has always been
in conflict with the tiger. He has blamed tigers for all kinds
of atrocities that the beasts have made them endure. To some
extent this is true but what they don't realise is that unless
it is forced to, the tiger would prefer to never leave it's
beloved jungle. |
|
 Villagers also became spiteful when they were forced to give up land that they freely roamed to wild animals, mainly the tiger. |
The planning and governing bodies of the wildlife department and
other related organisations have realised the mistake made by
them in the past and are now thankfully rectifying this. The villages
now neighbouring wildlife reserves are not being treated as enemies
of the animals and the forest but are instead being involved in
their protection and caring.
The villagers earlier were left helpless when cutting of wood in their areas was banned by the authorities once it was declared a national park or a sanctuary. The jungle used to provide them with wood, which used to be their only source of heat in the winters and fuel for cooking. It also provided them with fire that was at times their only means of protection from the animals around. This plight of the villagers, which created so much hatred in them towards the animals, has been finally understood and alternative provisions of fuel are being made available to them. |
Alternative grazing grounds for their cattle are also being looked at. Hopefully, there will be sufficient practical implementation of the solutions to go with the eventual realisation of the problems.
When man encroaches on the land in which the tiger roams and hunts for his own survival, the latter is forced to trespass on the land "belonging" to man. Encroachment of the forest automatically results in the depletion of the tiger's prey species. This in turn forces the tiger into hunting the livestock belonging to man. This once again creates tension between the two and often results in the death of the tiger due to the poisoning, by man, of it's kill.
The thought of a tiger creates a very violent image in the minds of most people. It is this image that needs to be changed. The tiger is as much a mother, a son, a daughter and a father, as humans are. They kill to feed themselves or their hungry children. The only exception being tigers that have turned "man-eaters". If we can make people see the importance of the tiger's survival and also realise that it isn't a mindless killing machine, we would have won half the battle.
The other half of the battle can only be won with guns and patrolling to counter the constant threat to the tiger's survival from poachers. To some extent this threat can be lessened by getting the locals to withdraw any kind of support to these gangs. On the other hand, only well equipped guards and patrols can deliver the telling blow that will make the actual difference.
Hopefully, those with the power to make a difference will realise in time and do what ever is required to end the conflict between man and tiger before it results in the extinction of arguably the most awesome being on this planet. The tiger.