Tiger on the trail

AWAY FROM the cultures of civilisation, the lone octogenarian priest, Ramprasad, prays in the Vishnu temple in the thick jungles of Bandhavgarh, in Madhya Pradesh. His life is totally different from that of other priests, as he is witness to the regeneration of various life forms in the forest area including that of tigers.

But this is not a story about the priest and his life. It is about a wildlife programme on the tigers of Bandhavgarh, which was once a game reserve of the Maharajahs of the area, filmed by the renowned wildlife cinematographer, Mr. Alphonse Roy.

Funded by the Popular Broadcast Systems (PBS), USA, the 50-minute film traces the history of tigers for three generations. The programme on tigers is the last of a 24-part series on wildlife and forests throughout the world titled `Living Edens'.

In India two sanctuaries have been selected for the 24-part series, says Mr. Roy. One is Annamalais in Pollachi and the other in Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh. Spending nearly a year in and around the abandoned Vishnu temple in Bandhavgarh forests to trace the tigers and cubs in the area, he has found the assignment in the area an enjoyable one.

But after a year's hard work, he was able to achieve something that many wildlife enthusiasts in the world only aspire for. It is for the first time that his programme on wildlife conservation meant for foreign viewers has been previewed in India. ``I am very proud to show the programme first to our people,'' he says. The programme is scheduled to be telecast in USA during Christmas this year, he says.

Talking about the tiger population in the country, he feels that the big cats face the threat from foreign countries, mainly in the Far East, where its bones are considered to have `aphrodisiacal' properties. Some of them die due to conflicts between man and animal taking place on the forest fringes.

When one of the cubs strayed close to a village, it was caught in a `booby trap' set up to trap another animal. The story had a sad ending, as the cub had a premature death, he laments.

The team has spent nearly Rs. 3 crores for the project and shot 70,000 feet of film. Moreover, it is not a shoe-string budget and hence the results have come out well, he says. ``It is only 20 per cent of what I saw in the forest, that is on film,'' says Mr. Roy.

Plans are also afoot to shoot films on a few places in the state. ``I am more concerned about the fast disappearing Pallikaranai marsh, one of the last water bodies located close to the city.

A campaign to protect this marsh and the smaller life forms in it will be my next project,'' he adds.

By P. Oppili

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