Techies pack bags to hit the tiger trail

The Times of India , Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Correspondent : Rohith B R,
BANGALORE: Counting tigers deep in the jungles is an exotic hobby, and certainly not just good fun. Studying pugmarks and tiger scats, sighting sambhars and nilgai, and analyzing vegetation is serious business.

Animal lovers from Bangalore have jumped at the chance to live on the wild side. Like Ranjith B S, team head with a software firm in the city, who has taken 10 days off work to volunteer with the national tiger census starting on December 16. An excited Ranjith is busy making calls to the forest department to ensure everything is on schedule.

He has also roped in friends from other tech firms, who are equally enthusiastic and undimmed by the recent tiger attacks on humans.

Fasi Ahmed, 25, a resident of Benson Town, recently quit as HR recruiter in an IT firm and is looking for a change. But as soon as he heard about the tiger census, he put his job hunt on hold. "I've some job offers in hand but I cannot miss the big cat census, which happens only once in four years," he said.

Asked if he is undeterred by the recent attacks on humans in Mysore that resulted in four deaths, Fasi said such things are like road accidents. "We can't sit at home just because such accidents take place," he said. "The very idea of staying inside the forest and being part of such a count excites me."

In Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) and surrounding divisions alone, about 50 volunteers, mostly techies, have enrolled for the eight-day sojourn. V Karikalan, deputy conservator of forests, BNP, said more volunteers might join in as census week approaches. "Volunteers would be included in forest staff teams spread out in different beats in a particular forest range," he said. "We train volunteers before they're sent in the field."

However, Karikalan said they can't promise accommodation and food during the term. "As counting happens mostly during the mornings and evenings, they do get breaks for lunch and dinner and can come out," he said. "In deep forests, our staff try to accommodate them in watchtowers or anti-poaching camps."

Pranav J, a bank employee, recalls his stay inside a jungle near Mysore during the last census. "My friends and I went with enough rations and food and stayed with forest guards for a week," he said. "We're going to repeat it this time. Apart from a break from routine, the census gives us an opportunity to understand the forest better and respect nature."

Forest officials said all volunteers have to sign a bond before they enter the forest, stating the department is not responsible for any untoward incidents like animal attacks. "Volunteers should also abide by forest laws, like not wearing bright colours and posing a threat to wildlife," said a senior official.

APPLICATIONS POUR IN

Additional principal conservator of forests (wildlife) Ajai Misra said they've received around 700 volunteer applications from different parts of Karnataka. "The number might go up in the coming days but we'll restrict the volunteers this time, with the man-animal conflict in the past few months," he said. "We'll put volunteers in the forest division, where we can make better use of them."

Field work is only the first phase of the tiger census, with exercises such as remote-sensing studies, camera trapping and source population studies to follow in upcoming phases.

JOB ON HAND

Eight days in the jungle involves

* Drawing transacts, mapping GPS coordinates, rigorous walking to fill various data sheets

* Noting down sightings, pugmarks, tiger scats

* Counting co-predators like leopards

* Noting sightings of herbivores like sambhar, nilgai and wild buffalo

* Analyzing vegetation in respective forest tracts: tree species, shrub abundance, invasive weeds

* Studying human disturbance of tiger habitats, loss of ground cover in forests

WHO'S ELIGIBLE?

* Though there's no age limit, schoolchildren and the very old not allowed

* Candidates with communicable diseases barred

* Those with cameras and video equipment not allowed

* Volunteers have to abide by forest and wildlife laws

TIMES VIEW

It's heartening to see youngsters coming out in large numbers to be part of the tiger census. In a country which harbours a large proportion of the world's tiger population, it's imperative that youngsters make sincere efforts to conserve these animals and their habitat. But the authorities should ensure that the right people get chosen for this exercise and none of the volunteers abuse the opportunity and time they get to spend in the wild. Their activities should be strictly monitored and they should trained well to make sure they do more good than harm during the census. Over time, these volunteers will become vocal ambassadors of conservation.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Techies-pack-bags-to-hit-the-tiger-trail/articleshow/27154844.cms
 


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