Poaching and erosion of habitat eats into India's tiger numbers

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Poaching and erosion of habitat eats into India's tiger numbers

Amrit Dhillon in New Delhi

 

10/03/2002

South China Morning Post

11

© Copyright 2002 South China Morning Post Publishers. All Rights

Reserved.

 

It is National Wildlife Week in India but there is little to

celebrate about the fate of the endangered tiger. After nearly 30 years

of Project Tiger, the world's largest conservation programme, the

balance sheet looks bleak.

 

The skin of the tiger is still decorating walls, the eyeballs are

still being used to " cure " epilepsy, the bones are still being powdered

to soothe a raging fever and the penis is still being cooked in a soup

to boost the sex drive of the impotent.

Poaching is rampant in India's 23 tiger reserves. Little more than a

decade ago, demand for tiger products existed only in China, Taiwan,

Macau and South Korea. Wildlife experts say traders now cater to many

more countries.

 

Poaching is always difficult to stop in a country like India where

there are not enough forest rangers or patrol vehicles in the major

parks. Forest guards tend to be old and unfit, lack basic equipment such

as boots, binoculars and night lights and, in states such as Bihar, lack

motivation. Some have not been paid for a year.

 

The other main enemy of the tiger is human encroachment into its

natural habitat. Since the launch of Project Tiger, the country's

population has increased by 300 million and livestock by 100 million.

 

Last month, thousands of villagers invaded the tiger's protected

areas in Ranthambhore Park in Rajasthan. They pitched tents because

their cattle desperately needed water and grazing. This desperation will

only increase since the government has proved helpless against mining

and timber mafias.

 

Conservationist Brijendra Singh said: " It is this conflict for scarce

land and resources that is making the tiger lose its natural habitat and

its prey animals. Local people living around the parks are eyeing the

plentiful water and fodder inside them. "

 

Experts believe India loses one tiger every day. A former minister of

environment and forests said: " Project Tiger is a failure. Today, no

more than 1,300 tigers survive in the wild. "

 

Official tiger figures have always been controversial. In 1970, the

tiger population was estimated at 1,800. In 1993 it stood at 3,750 and

the 1997 census found 3,508 tigers. Wildlife experts say these figures

are make-believe.

 

Even more outrageous was the claim by the director of Project Tiger

in 1990 that India had 9,000 tigers. The then environment minister,

Maneka Gandhi, called for an inquiry and the tiger count dropped

mysteriously overnight. Most of the 9,000 tigers existed only on paper,

concocted by park officials portraying their reserves as roaring success

stories.

 

Fateh Singh Rathore, the former director of Ranthambhore Park,

considers even 1,300 to be on the optimistic side. " In Ranthambhore,

forest officials put the number of tigers at 32 but I know we have only

about 22. "

 

Author and conservationist Valmik Thapar said: " In the next 15 years

we might have about 400 tigers pushed into small pockets, desperately

seeking survival. I have failed. We have failed to protect the tiger. "

 

 

 

Folder Name: Asia Conservation Tiger

Relevance Score on Scale of 100: 99

 

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