Vanishing point

Who is responsible for the disappearance of the big cat from national parks?

Tariq Hasan Aligarh

The recent disclosure regarding the disappearance of the big cat from the Sariska National Park, followed by the report that at least 20 tigers are "missing" from the high-profile Ranthambore National Park — both exalted Project Tiger zones in Rajasthan — have only confirmed the fears of tiger experts like Billy Arjan Singh and Fateh Singh Rathore regarding the eventual fate of the tiger. It is clear that this "disappearance" from highly-protected areas is not an overnight phenomenon. And it stems, in part, from the utter contempt of the Rajasthan government towards the repeated warnings of conservationists.

The news comes in the wake of unofficial reports of organised hunts in buffer forests on the western boundary of the Rajaji National Park in Uttaranchal. This poaching is said to be under the patronage of influential people in the districts of Uttar Pradesh adjoining Uttaranchal.

Over the past decade-odd, tiger experts have warned that the tiger census figures projected by different state forest departments are "bogus". In a recent interview to a national daily, tiger expert Valmik Thapar spoke of the "vast gaps between reality and these imaginary official figures". Experts have long pled the urgent need to conduct authentic scientific studies in all the national parks using modern techniques such as global satellite imaging. They have also spoken of the state forest departments' resistance to the proposed scientific studies. Also, their blocking of access to scientists and competent non-governmental organisations to core areas in the various reserves will have disastrous repercussions, since it will effectively scuttle monitoring by independent agencies.

Three years ago, Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal had faced a major crisis after a slew of killings of tuskers by poachers. Following a nationwide outcry, park authorities stepped up anti-poaching measures with the help of local villagers, and implemented innovative measures for better management of grasslands and waterholes in the core area. But frequent changes in the Corbett administration and lack of vision for long-term conservation measures remain a serious concern to conservationists.

While conditions in Corbett are better than in the two aforementioned reserves, a recent pioneering study clearly indicates that the ideal habitat for tig ers in Corbett is also shrinking alarmingly. Official statistics, always dicey, show 140-odd tigers in the Corbett Tiger Reserve. The question is whether the reserve is capable of sustaining this population.

 The study, conducted under a joint project of the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun, and scientists of the Centre of Wildlife, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), used satellite sensors and remote sensing techniques and provided, for the first time, a scientific analysis of the habitat status at Corbett.

According to the study, "Only 19.18 per cent of the area in the Corbett Tiger Reserve is now highly suitable for the tiger and 36.5 per cent of the Park is in the category of a suitable area in this tiger reserve." The report says that about 212 sq km, of the total area of 1,288 sq km, in the Corbett Tiger Reserve is unsuitable for supporting tigers. The report warns that "corridor fragmentation" has not only deprived the felines from moving freely between the Tiger Reserve and the adjoining forests, it is also leading to a marked increase in the incidence of human-animal conflict in the peripheral areas.

According to Arshia Qadri, principal investigator in the above study, "Rapid urbanisation along the Ramnagar-Mohan corridor is playing havoc with the Park's ecology" by blocking traditional migratory routes of several species of wild animals, including elephants, and reducing the natural territorial needs of tigers. Also, indiscriminate construction along the Ramnagar-Ranikhet Road is assuming menacing proportions.

The report becomes significant in the wake of recent reports of an increase in cattle grazing within Corbett, which leads to an increase in tigers lifting cattle.

Another recent study on tiger-human conflict, jointly conducted by the Centre of Wildlife Sciences, AMU, and the Corbett Foundation, the report of which was released in July 2004, says that tree-cutting, lopping and livestock grazing in at least 23 per cent of the forest blocks of the national park's buffer zone is becoming a source of serious environmental concern.

According to principal investigators Afifullah Khan and Jamal Khan of AMU's Centre of Wildlife Sciences, "The dependency of villagers in adjoining areas on fuel wood from the forest for cooking purposes is only adding to the overall problem of human-animal conflict in the area."

The study warns that "livestock depredation by tigers is leading to the rise in hostility between locals and the park management. Between the years 1998 and 2001, there have been 1,278 cases of attacks by tigers on cattle. Villagers are frequently resorting to poisoning of cattle kills which has led to the death of several tigers."