It has not been long that the Tiger survey of India 2020 declared India to host 70% of World’s tigers with an exceptional increase of 33% from the period 2014-2018.
Also the Tiger survey 2018 set a Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera-trap wildlife survey ever.
It was a matter of pride for all Indians as Tiger is regarded as a symbol of Beauty, Bravery, Strength and Nationality. When a majestic animal like it walks across the dried grasslands or Jungle, even Nature dares to feel proud.
But a few recent Tiger deaths across Indian Peninsula has raised concerns and has uncovered several loopholes in country’s far-fetched Tiger protection strategy.
Just in last three unfortunate days, 3 Tiger deaths have been reported alone in Maharashtra.
In the similar span, One Tiger has embraced death in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve’s Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and was found near a canal.
Even Uttarakhand has touched headlines regarding 5 Tiger deaths in last 3 months. With one more tiger found dead on the border area of Wardha and Amravati districts this Wednesday, the number of tiger deaths in Vidarbha in last four days becomes four.
Certainly, amidst the Tiger’s increasing Numbers, Forest Department’s efforts are ostensibly falling short to save these magnificent Striped beings and this has shaken us to the very depth of our Hearts.
If our Nation animal inside the protected and reserved areas is not safe, who is?
Maharashtra’s case:
One tigress was found dead in Bor dharan (dam) canal on March 21. The bodies of Two other tigers, one in Pandharkawda tahsil of Yavatmal district and another in Nagalwadi range of Pench Tiger Reserve in Nagpur district, were also retrieved.
PCCF (Wildlife) Nitin Kakodkar has disregarded speculations of poaching and said, “The Bor Dharan case doesn’t seem to be of poaching as body parts of the tigress were intact”.
She may have possibly drowned due to extreme exhaustion or might have been thrown in water there after being found dead somewhere else. No electrocution marks have been found.
An extremely decomposed carcass with all four of its paws missing, was recovered from Yavatmal.
“The carcass is about a week old and in a highly decomposed state. But the teeth of the tiger seem to be highly worn out, indicating that it was an old tiger and may have died of old age. Miscreants do run away with paws when they find a dead tiger”.
Nagalwadi range of Pench Tiger Reserve is notorious for Electrocution as previous instances of the same had been reported in last few years.
UP’s case:
The Tiger found dead is expected to be 5 years old and appeared Healthy before death. There were no visible Injury marks except a slight swollen neck indicating a probable foul play, causing severe resentment among Animal Lovers across the nation from such deaths consecutively.
An autopsy report also indicates no part missing, no internal Injury, just a small cut near the Ribs that could have been due to Porcupine quill. Further Information can only be revealed based on certain pathological as well as Toxicology reports.
However, a Wildlife expert has said that this can be a possible case of poisoning as this tiger has ravaged Villager’s cattle previously and a tiger goes towards water source when poisoned.
Not earlier than this month, an adult Tiger was found electrocuted in a field on March 1 due to electric fence set up by Poachers to trap wild animals. Another Tigress was found dead in UP’s Pilibhit Tiger reserve, even her four cubs were missing.
Why is Tiger conservation still required?
They are listed as “Endangered” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species globally and the Malayan-Sumatran sub-species are listed as “Critically endangered”.
Tigers are indicator of well-being of an ecosystem in which they live and they keep the required balance between Herbivores and the surrounding grasslands.
Their skins, skull, blood, bones and even whiskers fetch great price in illegal trade.
They are protected under:
Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) framework
In India, it lies under Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger.
Although Forest departments can be lauded for their efforts for providing easy solutions to the easy problems which manage to take away Tiger’s lives.
Tiger protecting force for ensuring No Poaching, Integrating development to Tiger protection using Geographic Information System Database, undertaking advanced Lidar and camera based surveys(that too Reserve-wise), Identification and declaration of new tiger reserves are few of such prominent measures.
Yet we fail to save our Tigers in their natural Habitats, why?
Because we have infiltrated their lands to oust them out, without food, water.
Because we need to their body parts to meet our financial ends in life, survive without ethics whatsoever.
Tigers are referred to as “umbrella species” at times because their conservation also conserves many other species in the same area.
India has lost 750 tigers in last 8 years(2012-19)
95 tiger deaths alone in 2019 when we had our guards up.
Due to major proportion of tigers found here, India’s efforts will decide the exact course of Tiger Numbers everywhere. We can either be exuberant about current Numbers and be callous to constant deaths or can strengthen measures for protection in ways they need to be, so that No life is faded, No grandeur is lost.