BHOPAL: With the objectives of focussing on tiger conservation, research- ing on the Carnivore and providing ready access to publications and web sites on the animal, the city-based Regional Museum of Natural History is on the verge of establishing a tiger resource centre within its sprawling campus in the capital of India's 'tiger state' Madhya Pradesh.
''The idea germinated about three-four years back in our advisory planning committee. Actually, we received a huge quantity of skeletal material of tigers, rhinoceros and elephants from the then Mysore-based Vanigan Taxidermy facility,'' the museum's scientist-in-charge C Rajasundaram said.
Vanigan, which was managed by a non-Indian family, decided to wind up operations as the family's present generation did not wish to continue investment in this direction. Besides, it became impossible to collect specimens after 1972 owing to the wildlife protection act. ''The resource centre shall be the subject of a soon-to-be-held workshop that will witness attendance by experts such as author and Environmentalist Valmiki Thapar besides project tiger director Rajesh Gopal (Indian forest service),'' Rajasundaram explained.
He clarified that the centre would not research on the medicinal value of tiger remains as that was not only illegal but would also amount to commercialisation. The centre would interact with other countries. The scientist refused to disclose the exact quantity of material available with the museum as tiger bones were highly priced in the international market and the Chinese Mafia was willing to offer several Lakh rupees for them.
''of the total eight types of tigers, three have become extinct.
Poaching is the principal threat to the Carnivore's Existence.
Encroachment on jungle land is also a factor but the forest department is tackling that,'' Rajasundaram added. According to details supplied by project tiger, increased human and cattle population led to pressure on jungle resources which ultimately caused fragmentation and degradation of wildlife habitats. This, coupled with the increase in wildlife population within protected areas, resulted in wildlife spilling over to other zones.
Resultantly, increased man-animal conflicts -- leading to re- venge killings and poaching -- were discernible. Though India is not a consumer of wildlife body parts, the demand from other countries for these -- with lucrative profits -- is a threat to wildlife.
Tigers face major population losses. They are killed for sport, skin and body parts. The 1950s witnessed extinction of the Caspi- an tiger. The Bali and Java tiger also met the same fate. The last Bali tiger was killed in 1937 the last Javan was observed in 1972. India today has the largest number of tigers, between 3,600 to 4,000. The south China tiger (20-30 Remain), is nearly extinct in the wild.
The Bengal tiger is endangered because it is poached for body parts. Another reason is habitat loss due to depletion of forest cover. At the end of the 1800s, there were reportedly almost 40,000 tigers in India, but now only around 4,000 Remain in the wild.
