NAGPUR: Poaching, prey depletion and habitat destruction have decimated the world's wild tiger population to fewer than 3,200. Poaching continues to be the key threat to tigers in India - home to more than half of the world's tigers, finds a latest study conducted by Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) and Snow Leopard Trust. The study identified 73 districts in central and south India as current crime hot spots.
The study - Tiger poaching and trafficking in India: Estimating rates of occurrence and detection over four decades - by wildlife biologist Koustubh Sharma and Belinda Wright, Tito Joseph, Nitin Desai of WPSI, attempts to ascertain the probability of occurrence of tiger crime and detection between 1972 and 2012 in the 605 districts of India.
Of the 73 districts, at least 17 show high probability of tiger crime occurrence despite being far from known tiger habitats. This points to the inability of local enforcement agencies to effectively curb tiger crime where it seems to be taking place through an organized network. Poor intelligence is a stumbling block.
Experts tested the hypotheses that tiger crime is influenced by the presence of tiger trade hubs, proximity to a number of tiger habitats, and that tiger poachers prefer to use rail routes over highways.
The illegal trafficking of tiger parts has two components - that of poaching tigers and that of selling, buying and smuggling out of the country. Between 82 and 88 districts have been identified as traditional and new trade hubs based on the number and kind of confiscations over the years and reliable intelligence inputs.
"We hypothesize that these tiger trade hubs underwent a change around 1999-2000 when tiger trade became more organized. Some hubs were abandoned and new districts became trade hubs, though many remained traditional tiger trade hubs at least for the past 40 years," says Desai.
The study is based on WPSI data on poaching cases and confiscations from 1972 onwards and recorded information for confirmed incidents of illegal killing or trafficking of wildlife. This information was collated, categorized and stored in database on wildlife crime. The total database consists of more than 25,000 entries on poaching, confiscations, raids, retaliatory killings and accidents involving nearly 400 wildlife species.
"During 2009-2012, the probability of tiger crime was high in 73 of the 605 districts. These can be considered the current hotspots for tiger crime. The areas with greatest risk of tiger poaching and trafficking are situated in a narrow corridor running from south India, through central India, all the way to specific border districts in the north," says Sharma.
A large number of districts are at high risk of tiger crime along India's border with Nepal - considered as the main international hub for trafficking of tiger parts into China.
There has been a minor improvement in detection of tiger crime after 2005, possibly as a result of the disclosure of tiger extinction in Sariska tiger reserve.
With distinct estimates of probabilities of occurrence and detection, the study provides a framework that can be used to monitor crime and crime detection rates. Such information can thus be useful in prioritizing intelligence and enforcement efforts, subsequently leading to prevention of crime.
