JAIPUR: Tigers came alive here in the Rajasthan Capital this past weekend when a collection of tiger paintings were put up on display to focus attention on the feline species in the wake of their elimination from the Sariska sanctuary and the threat to their population in Ranthambhor National Park. Tigers on paper and canvas and not in full blood nevertheless carried the message of the serious crisis that is glaring at the wildlife scene in the country that has started with the big cat.
A discussion on tiger management crisis coincided with the inauguration of the paintings of Ajay Singh Peelwa at the WelcomArt Gallery of the Rajputana Palace Sheraton. Rajasthan Cricket Association president and BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi, who inaugurated the painting exhibition, made a big confession: "Cricket is my fashion but wildlife is my passion."
In his presentation, environmentalist Harsh Vardhan said the present management crisis in tiger parks in Rajasthan could be overcome by addressing four major aspects including reorganisation of the staff structure.
Mr.Vardhan pointed out that over a period the number of lower level staff had declined while that of the level of highest officials went up fourfold. As for the available field staff, instead of concentrating in the interiors of the sanctuaries they should be keeping vigil at the periphery of the parks.
The flourishing hotel industry around Ranthambhor came in for criticism from all those present as Mr.Vardhan pointed out that it cared least for the welfare of the animals within the park and the humans outside it after pocketing as much as 80 per cent of the Rs.21-crore revenue generated in the area every year. There was no need for any conflict between park managers and the tourism sector but the latter should share the dividends with the rest of the stakeholders, he suggested.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R.N.Mehrotra, who presided over the discussions, said shifting out of the villagers from the tiger parks was important for the animal's survival. "Once the villagers were moved out from Ranthambhor some 20 years back the tiger population there increased had from just 14 to 41," he observed.
Even while claiming that the gangs involved in poaching in Sariska and Ranthambhor had been busted with the arrest of Sansar Chand and others Mr.Mehrotra said the poaching activities could still pose a threat. "The threat remains as long as there is a demand for tiger parts," he said. "We need to generate public sentiments against the use of tiger parts. A strong intelligence network also is required to curb poaching," Mr.Mehrotra pointed out.
Young wildlife painter Ajay Singh Peelwa, who has had his exhibitions in Jaipur, Delhi and Mumbai in the past, has painted tigers in their different moods-varying from elegance to poignancy-using acrylic paint and through the techniques of serigraph and etching. A tiger in the natural dry deciduous habitat, the pensive tiger, tiger at the Raj Talab in Ranthambhor and a tiger painted in red, all cry out. "I want the policy makers and the public to read the danger signal in the paintings," Peelwa said. The tigers in the paintings are modelled after the big cats in Ranthambhor and Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh).
The exhibition coming at the end of a year, which started with the shocking discovery of the absence of tigers from Sariska sanctuary in Rajasthan early this year, may herald a new beginning the next year.
