Increase in tiger numbers; increase in man-animal conflict

As we head into the new year, we have to brace ourselves for more man-animal conflicts in the periphery of all tiger reserves in Karnataka. We are bound to have more tiger trouble.

The recent man-eating incident near the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary is just the beginning of what is to come. We could attribute this grim situation to an increase in tiger population in our reserves, fragmented corridors (which facilitate the movement of transient animals into adjoining habitats), prey depletion through poaching and lack of political will to address critical wildlife management issues.

It is worrisome that in a span of 18 months the Karnataka forest department has captured ten tigers from Nagarhole and Bandipur.  At the last enumeration in our tiger reserves, there were 100 to 110 tigers in Bandipur, 60 to 80 in Nagarhole, 50 to 55 in BRT, 30 to 35 in Bhadra, 30-35 in Dandeli and Anshi.

There is a viable population in MM Hills. Also tigers have been frequently spotted in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. There are a few in our reserve forests as well.  It might interest you that a transient female had briefly forayed into the Bannerghatta national park, barely 22 km from Bengaluru, in 2012.

All put together there are over 400 tigers in Karnataka, making it the number one tiger state in the country. But with the increase in numbers we have had an increase in man-animal conflicts as well, reflected in frequent capture of tigers in Bandipur and Nagarhole. There have been stray man-eating incidents in BRT and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in recent times.

The situation can get worse. A demoralized forest force, pre-historic ammunition, foisting of false cases against staff who confront poachers, lack of cooperation and support from local populace and the political establishment makes a heady cocktail of wildlife trouble.

In hindsight, decisions taken by the forest department has also been baffling. Instead of winning the confidence of people who live in the vicinity of the forests, we are infuriating them to revolt against our dwindling wildlife population. The decision to relocate the tiger that was captured from Chikmagaluru was imprudent.

The very fact that the tiger had killed a woman in a coffee estate should have been a deterrent against its release. It should have wisely been kept in captivity at a zoo. But the urge to save it and allow it to propagate in its natural habitat seemed more appealing at the time of decision-making. It was taken in the interest of the tiger.

Now that the same tiger has killed and devoured a pregnant woman should caution the authorities from releasing captured animals into the wild again. As history reflects, either they are killed by resident tigers or they prey on vulnerable men and women.

So what is the solution then? Considering that more injured, hungry and weary tigers are expected to be captured in the future and that there is no space for them in zoos, the department has to identify an area where these wild-caught tigers can be rehabilitated. But then…

Special Tiger Protection Force(STPF) staff demoralised

A couple of weeks ago we were cock-a-hoop about tiger numbers increasing in the country. Now, we are a worried lot as we are losing tigers regularly to poisoning and poaching. Natural deaths do occur due to territorial fights. But death through poisoning is threatening the very existence of our flagship species .It has become a regular occurrence over the last five years.

Unlike in the past, people don’t need guns to kill the world’s most majestic animal. They just need DDT, which is available across the counter in most village hamlets adjoining our tiger habitats. The moment a tiger or leopard kills their cattle or goats, people spray DDT on the half-eaten carcass. The tiger succumbs when it eats the poison-laden meat.

As records manifest, we lost a robust four-year-old tigress at the kundhakere range in Bandipur to poisoning recently.

The news of losing two eight-month old cubs in Nagarhole tiger reserve to starvation is disturbing. It was fortunate that another emancipated cub was rescued and taken to the Mysore zoo. Had the mother of the cubs been alive, this would not have happened. Intriguingly, there is no trace of the mother. Its carcass has not been found as yet. Was it poisoned? Was it poached? The Karnataka Forest Department has no clue.

It was with the intent to suppress poaching that the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) created the Special Tiger Protection Force. But the state of the STPF in Karnataka is as precarious as that of the tiger. While the tiger is being persecuted by poachers and enraged farmers, the STPF personnel are being harassed by their bosses.

You may ask why so? If you read what follows you will understand their predicament.

It is shocking that the STPF staff were made to sign a bond which implies that that they are not entitled for transfer until they turn 40. The average age of the STPF range forest officers, deputy range forest officers, forest guards and watchers is 23. That means they can’t seek a transfer for 15 to 17 years.

These are woes that the NTCA and KFD need to address before a whole lot of some of them quit their jobs in frustration. As it is, as a demoralized lot they have not been able to perform their duty to the best of their ability.

1.     They are unhappy that they have been made to sign a draconian bond, which compels them to work in the STPF until they are 40 years old, while their batch mates who are part of the regular wildlife force sign a bond only for five years.

          2.  They are depressed that their batch mates ,culled from the 218 personnel that were absorbed by the KFD in 2010, get transfers when they ask for one.

3. They are hurt that they have to work under the orders of their batch mates who comprise the regular wildlife force. They feel ridiculed that a batch mate, who trained alongside them, commands them, though both are of the same rank.

4.  More significantly they are perturbed that prospective brides are not willing to marry them as they have signed the draconian bond which binds them to the “no transfer clause until they are 40”.

5.  Lack of proper ammunition when they are  up against poachers and better work environment are other issues that rankle the STPF.

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When the STPF plight is thus, how can we expect the force to save our wildlife and forests?

Over to the KFD.

Prakash Javadekar's largesse; NGOs squabble

Tiger numbers may have increased over 25 per cent, from 1740 to 2286, in the Indian forest landscape. But let us not get excited. There are too many loopholes that dog our conservation policies, detrimental to the future of our flagship species

 The problem is at three levels. It begins with our ‘learned’ environment minister Prakash Javadekar, percolates to the unholy goings-on in forest department and the fight between fund-hungry, headlines seeking NGOs.

Without understanding the dynamics of forest and wildlife conservation, an excited Mr Javadekar went to the extent of saying “India is even willing to donate tiger cubs to the international community and play a key role in global tiger conservation efforts". Wonder if he knows that India was home to one lakh tigers when the British ruled us.

He should be given the ‘Padmashree’ for this blah-blah. He would do well to increase the area of tiger habitats, instead of giving over-the-counter clearances for mining, hydro and infrastructure projects in forests. Economic empowerment through development is welcome, but not at the cost of our forest landscape, which is our only lung-space.

 Mr Javadekar should understand that every citizen is a stake holder. He can't destroy God's Gift to mankind: Forests and wildlife. If he means what he says (gifting tiger cubs), let him increase the size of our natural forests, instead of shrinking and fragmenting it to please mining, oil, hydro and infrastructure tycoons.

Let’s talk about our NGOs. Some are a bane to our wildlife. Take the instance of the on-going rift between noted wildlife biologists Ullas Karanth and Sanjay Gubbi. Karanth had no issues with Gubbi as long as he worked in his Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) Empire. Both were on the same page when it came to wildlife conservation issues.

But they have turned bitter rivals. Why: Gubbi moved to the more reputed Nature Conservation Society (NCF). Conservation has suffered in their battle for wildlife turf. Karanth many believe has turned nasty. Two incidents bring his angst against Gubbi to light.

First: When a radio-collared leopard was found dead in the vicinity of Mysore, a picture of the feline hanging from a tree was mysteriously released to a select group of journalists. It was alleged that the leopard had died due to asphyxiation caused by the radio collar.

When post mortem reports revealed that the leopard had died of poisoning (zinc phosphide), the forest department issued a statement that someone with malicious intentions was creating trouble. Intriguingly, 30 RTIs had been filed to pin down Gubbi, who had been given the go-ahead for radio-collaring leopards that come into conflict with humans.

Second: When a radio-collared tiger, which had killed a woman in Chikamagalur coffee estate, was released in Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary near Khanapur (Belgaum), Karanth again accused Gubbi. He went on to suggest that Gubbi was ill-experienced in radio-collaring. He even went to the extent of asking for a government enquiry. Yes, Gubbi failed in his endeavour.  The tiger killed another woman before it was shot dead.

Karanth should also take responsibility for killing some of our tigers and leopards when he was learning the nuances of radio-telemetry. His utterances, in his quest to tarnish Gubbi’s image, has impacted wildlife conservation. Vinay Luthra, chief wildlife warden, says it was the tiger (wildlife) that suffered in the battle between two wildlife biologists.

Let’s hope Karanth and Gubbi bury their differences for wildlife sake. Unless all of us work in tandem, no conservation program will be successful, more so when Javadekar is hell bent on clearing mining and infrastructure projects. Unlike conservationists, Javadekar’s interest is dollars, not tigers.

Javadekar's largesse; NGOs squabble

Tiger numbers may have increased over 25 per cent, from 1740 to 2286, in the Indian forest landscape. But let us not get excited. There are too many loopholes that dog our conservation policies, detrimental to the future of our flagship species

 The problem is at three levels. It begins with our ‘learned’ environment minister Prakash Javadekar, percolates to the unholy goings-on in forest department and the fight between fund-hungry, headlines seeking NGOs.

Without understanding the dynamics of forest and wildlife conservation, an excited Mr Javadekar went to the extent of saying “India is even willing to donate tiger cubs to the international community and play a key role in global tiger conservation efforts". Wonder if he knows that India was home to one lakh tigers when the British ruled us.

He should be given the ‘Padmashree’ for this blah-blah. He would do well to increase the area of tiger habitats, instead of giving over-the-counter clearances for mining, hydro and infrastructure projects in forests. Economic empowerment through development is welcome, but not at the cost of our forest landscape, which is our only lung-space.

 Mr Javadekar should understand that every citizen is a stake holder. He can't destroy God's Gift to mankind: Forests and wildlife. If he means what he says (gifting tiger cubs), let him increase the size of our natural forests, instead of shrinking and fragmenting it to please mining, oil, hydro and infrastructure tycoons.

Let’s talk about our NGOs. Some are a bane to our wildlife. Take the instance of the on-going rift between noted wildlife biologists Ullas Karanth and Sanjay Gubbi. Karanth had no issues with Gubbi as long as he worked in his Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) Empire. Both were on the same page when it came to wildlife conservation issues.

But they have turned bitter rivals. Why: Gubbi moved to the more reputed Nature Conservation Society (NCF). Conservation has suffered in their battle for wildlife turf. Karanth many believe has turned nasty. Two incidents bring his angst against Gubbi to light.

First: When a radio-collared leopard was found dead in the vicinity of Mysore, a picture of the feline hanging from a tree was mysteriously released to a select group of journalists. It was alleged that the leopard had died due to asphyxiation caused by the radio collar.

When post mortem reports revealed that the leopard had died of poisoning (zinc phosphide), the forest department issued a statement that someone with malicious intentions was creating trouble. Intriguingly, 30 RTIs had been filed to pin down Gubbi, who had been given the go-ahead for radio-collaring leopards that come into conflict with humans.

Second: When a radio-collared tiger, which had killed a woman in Chikamagalur coffee estate, was released in Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary near Khanapur (Belgaum), Karanth again accused Gubbi. He went on to suggest that Gubbi was ill-experienced in radio-collaring. He even went to the extent of asking for a government enquiry. Yes, Gubbi failed in his endeavour.  The tiger killed another woman before it was shot dead.

Karanth should also take responsibility for killing some of our tigers and leopards when he was learning the nuances of radio-telemetry. His utterances, in his quest to tarnish Gubbi’s image, has impacted wildlife conservation. Vinay Luthra, chief wildlife warden, says it was the tiger (wildlife) that suffered in the battle between two wildlife biologists.

Let’s hope Karanth and Gubbi bury their differences for wildlife sake. Unless all of us work in tandem, no conservation program will be successful, more so when Javadekar is hell bent on clearing mining and infrastructure projects. Unlike conservationists, Javadekar’s interest is dollars, not tigers.

ends