In Sahyadris, it’s tiger, tiger burning bright

The Indian Express , Thursday, March 24, 2005
Correspondent : Uma Karve Chakranarayan
Pune, March 23: THERE’s the sad story of tigers vanishing from Sariska, Ranthambore’s big cats are disappearing and Panna’s is also looking bad. But there’s hope for the big cats in other pockets — the Sahyadris, for one. ‘‘Tigers have been spotted after seven decades. Just shows everything is not depressing for the tiger,’’ says Vishwas Sawarkar, member of Project Tiger’s expert committee.

Just back from a presentation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the status of tigers in the country at the National Wildlife Board meeting, Sawarkar’s hopes are rising.

The PM gave them time and was keen on their suggestions. ‘‘We discussed setting up of a task force to conserve the tiger and its habitat as a start and then bringing in ecological conservation. Management experts, biologists, legal experts and NGO’s will study other species, human settlement and prey base.’’

Poaching also came up. ‘‘The National Wildlife Board has suggested a crime prevention bureau that would develop an intelligence system to curb the illegal wildlife trade,’’ says Sawarkar who has been the director of the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehra Dun.

Back to the rosier part — tiger spotting. In the 1970s, Sawarkar couldn’t spot the cats in the Western Ghats.‘‘ Now, they have been appearing around Chandoli, Koyna and Bhimashankar,’’ he says. Melghat too has promising. ‘‘Here, tiger spotting and specially cub spotting has grown.’’

ELsewhere too there’s hope. The Manas tiger reserve in Assam is a perfect example of rapport between wildlife officials and locals who put it back on the road to recovery.

But Sariska should never happen. “To lose all tigers is unprecedented,’’ he says. The problem is in preventing poaching.

‘‘Forty per cent vacancies combined with the average age of 50 is troublesome. We need younger people on the field,’’ he says.

So what can be done? Radio collaring of animals and following their movements via satellite.

This is being experimented with in Kanha. For people like Sawarkar, hope for the tigers burns bright.

 
SOURCE : The Indian Express, Thursday, March 24, 2005
 


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