The Statesman , Monday, March 28, 2005

Correspondent : Sobhana K

Alarm bells for this rare tiger habitatThe Statesman, Monday, March 28, 2005Sobhana K in Dudhwa March 27. — In Uttar Pradesh’s Dudhwa National Park, tigers are not only easy prey for poachers but also for a rail track which runs right through the jungle. Last month, a tiger skin and 10 kg of tiger bones were seized in Katrina Ghat in Dudhwa. A week back, a tigress was killed when it was hit by a train. That didn’t make news because in Dudhwa, animal killings by trains are considered “natural deaths”. Though the tiger population has gradually declined, authorities have not pressed the panic button. It could be that working without wages for the past three months has made forest officials immune to even the missing tiger issue. “Not a single employee of the park has been paid his salary for the past three months,” deputy director of the park Mr PP Singh said. If official figures are to be believed, Dudhwa has a healthy population of 110 tigers (26 males, 70 females and 14 cubs). But there has been a decrease in sightings. “Official figures are not true. The actual population of tigers must be just 45. There is no proper method to track tigers, therefore one can’t even have evidence to prove presence of poachers,” says Mr Billy Arjan Singh, who is now synonymous with the Save Tiger project in India. Mr Singh is responsible for giving Dudhwa a National Park status. The administration refutes his claim but admits that poaching takes place. “Only herbivores are poached, not carnivores,” said a senior fire conservator. The park is important for two reasons — it has the widest gene pool of tigers and as per the 2001-02 census the park stands fifth among the 28 tiger reserves as far as numbers are concerned. The rail track passes through the sanctuary at Katrina Ghat. Running over 30 km and touches several water holes of the 884-sq km park. Even officials admit that rail tracks have been responsible for the death of 28 animals. Train drivers don’t follow the permissible 70 km per hour limit. “We wrote to both the government and the Railways about the hazards of the rail track but to no avail,” Mr PP Singh said. A road runs parallel to the killer track. Buses ply at regular intervals from Palia to Guarifanta, the last post of the Indian territory. Forest officials tried to restrict traffic movement but had to face a lengthy court battle from residents of 35 villagers. A district court order said the road should remain open even at night disturbing the animals. However, the biggest threat is from 61-km of northern border which remains unguarded. Being an open border, poachers can easily infiltrate. Similarly, the southern border (88-km long) has no buffer zone. Mass deforestation in Nepal has resulted in large deposition of silt from Suheli river. Kilometre-tall sal, teak and jamun trees have wilted. A pale black shadow of trees is a grim reminder of environmental exploitation at Dudhwa.

SOURCE : Alarm bells for this rare tiger habitatThe Statesman, Monday, March 28, 2005