Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's presence at-and active chairing of-last Thursday's meeting of the National Board for Wildlife was by any standards an admirable gesture. He not only devoted two-and-a-half hours to the meeting from his busy schedule, but also asked probing questions to the representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Forests who were present, and asked them to speed up their implementation process.
Nothing could perhaps be more effective in sending down the clear message that the Government at the highest level took the business of protecting the country's rich diversity of wildlife seriously. That it was urgently necessary to do so was never in any doubt after the disappearance of tigers from the Sariska sanctuary had underlined the shocking neglect the task of protecting the country's wildlife had suffered in the last few years. It is likely to go a long way to boost the drooping morale of those passionately committed to save the country's wildlife, put forest officials on notice that dereliction of duty will not be countenanced, and warn poachers and their masters that their ability to operate with impunity would be short-lived.
What is particularly heartening is that three important steps have accompanied the Prime Minister's gesture. The first is the appointment of a task force to ascertain the status of tiger populations of the country's wildlife sanctuaries. The second is entrusting the Central Bureau of Investigation with the task of investigating the disappearance of tigers from Sariska. The third is the one barring Prime Ministers and Presidents from gifting animals to their counterparts and zoos abroad.
The need for the first is obvious. According to an All-India census in 1993, there were 3,750 tigers in Project Tiger reserves spread out over an area of 33,000 square kilometres. Optimistic current estimates put the number at 3,000, while the pessimistic ones go as low as 1,000. As to the second, it is perhaps the best way to establish the truth considering the superior resources and skills the CBI has as an investigating agency. Finally, it is now established that removal from their natural habitat causes severe trauma to animals like elephants which are used to herd life, and which suffer from acute depression in the countries to which they are despatched.
While the steps announced are doubtless welcome, of crucial importance would be to ensure that measures to protect wildlife are implemented adequately, something that has not been happening so far. For this, forest officers and guards need proper vehicles, arms and statutory authority to deal firmly with poaching.
This in turn will have to be supplemented by a crackdown on the mafia that thrives on trade in animal skin and body parts. Finally, there is a need to reconsider the policy of allowing inhabitants of the adjacent villages access to reserve forests. Many of them are hand-in-glove with poachers. The last, particularly, will require political will. The tiger, however, cannot be saved without its exercise.
