Tiger triumph

January 23, 2015 12:26 am | Updated April 21, 2017 05:59 pm IST

Rather than creating hype over the achievement of reversing a dramatic fall in the wild tiger population (“Giant leap for big cat,”Jan.21), the issue calls for a prudent and sensible approach. One should bear in mind the fact that numbers can be deceptive, especially when it comes to wild animal populations. The story of the passenger pigeon that once darkened the skies in their millions is a classic case. A stable and healthy population of tigers can be ensured only through the systematic preservation of their natural habitat.

I am also deeply alarmed by the statement, “with so many tigers, India could send them to countries where there was demand for them”. It is not clear whether this stand has official sanction. The Royal Bengal tiger is a true denizen of India and it should be free to roam the wilderness of our land. It cannot replace tiger subspecies in other lands. One must also remember that there is a growing demand for the tiger — for its claws, teeth, skin and other body parts. Such thoughtless pronouncements must not threaten the future of this beast.

Sandhya S.,Thiruvananthapuram

It works out to be an average increase of just above 100 tigers per annum pan-India, with the southwestern States leading the way in helping the tiger bounce back. A lot can be attributed to the use of cutting-edge technology, a positive attitude towards the forest services, better management of reserves and anti-poaching measures. However, the Sundarbans in West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have reported a fall in numbers or no increase. A lot can be learnt from Kerala’s Periyar Tiger Reserve where forest-dwellers have been made partners in management and where tourism has been supplemented with pepper-growing and honey processing activities among indigenous self-help groups.

The Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (Andhra Pradesh) and the Kawal Reserve (Adilabad), now important tiger habitats, can also adopt plans to involve locals. There must also be an attempt to establish corridors between different reserves.

M. Vishal Rao,Hyderabad

The assessment of the status of the tiger in 2014 has come up with a median estimate of 2,226, compared with 1,706 in 2010, and a rise spanning all but five of India’s 18 tiger-range States. The census, seeking to estimate tigers in India’s 47 reserve areas and adjacent forests, has suggested that their population has increased especially in Bihar, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. In effect, teams have relied on 9,735 cameras strategically positioned across a land area of 3,78,000 sq.km in 18 States. It is also known that cameras have recorded 1,540 individual tigers and that wildlife scientists used mathematical models to compute the minimum number of tigers in those areas at 1,945, assigned a maximum figure of 2,491 and calculated the median estimate at 2,226. Of course this is a tiny figure when one recalls that India had an estimated 50,000 tigers some two centuries ago.

F.A. Sulthanbi,Madurai

There should be urgent steps initiated now to ensure a safe and comfortable habitat for this growing population. With inadequate space in forests, there are chances of tigers encroaching into settlements, leading to man-animal conflict. Also, the biggest threat to tigers comes from growing encroachment into eco-sensitive and protected areas. A visit to most of our famous sanctuaries will show that lodges and resorts have proliferated around their periphery at an alarming pace. “Tiger shows” inside reserves — where meal baits are used to attract tigers in front of tourists — must also be monitored. There must now be a tiger security force to deal with tiger poaching.

Surbhi Jalan,New Delhi

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