The first trip to see any predator in the wild is unforgettable. You know you are travelling through animal territory, where they roam and hunt freely. Sitting in tidy little jeeps, we go looking for His Majesty and tremble when he nonchalantly walks past the jeep to a water body. Night and nature take over the forest once the sun sets. The tourists sleep in their hotel beds, shivering at the thought of a hunting tiger. But the ones living in the forest know. They dread of an attack on one of their people. The farmer living in the outskirts of the reserve fears that a tiger may snatch away a calf from his cattle shed. The forest ranger knows that there may be humans in the forest who have no right to be there.
Most of all, the tiger knows that there is something else lurking in the grass other than food -- the trap of a jagged iron laid out on the forest floor. That once trapped by it, his screams will only hasten the poacher to shove a spear into his throat to hack his vocal chords. That once muted, the poacher will proceed to electrocute him. His status as the national animal of the country matters very little to the poacher. His huge fangs hardly scare the poacher, trapped as he is. And the more he struggles, the more he is hurt. Undamaged tiger skin fetches a larger sum of money, his fangs, claws, bones and other organs will be hot property in the black market.
After my first visit, I promised myself I will go back to Bandhavgarh Hills in my lifetime and see the tigers again. The 'Save Tigers, only 1411 left' program couldn't have come at a better time. To me, 1411 no longer looks like just any number -- it is the legacy of our nation decimated.
Greed is one part of the reason for the huge demand of tiger products. In China, tiger bones, eyes and even penises are used in local medicine. On February 14 this year, the Chinese Year of the Tiger began. There are fears among conservationists that this may lead to an increased demand for tiger products. Many Indians too have a love for tiger skins.
The other part is need. Wouldn't a poor man with no land ownership, no profitable crops and a large family to feed start poaching -- something that might offer him huge sums of money?
Those who have not travelled across tiger territory will probably never understand the magnetic attraction it holds for the people who have been there. But every one of us who has been to any national park and seen the great beast in all its raw glory have a story to tell. A wish to make others see the magic they have seen. A desire to save it - so they themselves may experience it once again and so that future generations may also see it. As a common man far removed from the world of poachers and black markets, the least one can do is be informed about the alarming situation and spreading the word against poaching. A tiger skin on your floor is proof only of the fact that you are a murderer. Their fangs, claws and bones have never cured ailments. Don't let greed wipe out an entire species. Save the tiger!
Srividya Chandrasekar is a Company Secretary and a nature lover
