City deer mooted as prey for Kawal tigers: activists cry foul

In view of increased attacks on cattle, officials plan to translocate the ungulates

In order to address the issue of insufficient prey base in Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary, the Forest Department has embarked upon the task of shifting ungulates from its five parks located in the city.

This year, the department is going to translocate 1,050 animals, mostly spotted deer, to the core area of Kawal and the corridor in Kagaz Nagar, to provide sufficient prey base for the predators, especially the tiger. Already, 140 animals have been shifted from various deer parks in the city, namely, Mahaveer Harina Vanasthali, Chilkur National Park, Nehru Zoological Park, Pocharam deer park, and Shamirpet deer park.

“This will be a continuing exercise. We had done it in the past too to increase the prey base of Amrabad Tiger Reserve. In view of increased attacks on cattle by the tigress with cubs in corridor area, we have decided to focus on Kawal this year,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forests P.K.Jha informed.

The Kawal Tiger Reserve has shown drastic decline in prey base, from 13.5 ungulates per square kilometre in 2010 to 9.5 ungulates per square kilometre in 2016.

Shifting of ungulates becomes necessary even from the supply side, as the animals have become surplus in the city-based parks, Mr.Jha says.

However, wildlife activists cry foul about the shifting of the deer, and say unless the root causes for the steep decline in the number are plugged, reinforcing from outside will not help the prey base. Imran Siddiqui from Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society (HyTiCoS), who is also a wild life biologist and member of Tiger Steering Committee, is wary of the introduction of city-bred ungulates into wildlife areas, and says they will fall easy prey for poachers.

“The deer from city-based parks do not fear human beings. They are easy to hunt down. Wild dogs too can find easy prey in them. Within no time, the situation will be back to square one,” Mr.Siddiqui says.

Besides, the captive-bred deer could house parasitic infections which will be spread in the wild when they are translocated. Inbreeding which is bound to take place among the captive animals could have deleterious effects such as still-births, congenital issues, abortions, genetic mutations and others on wild herds.

Reasons for the decline in prey base range from poaching, forest fires, to cattle grazing leading to loss of fodder, and they should be plugged, Mr.Siddiqui says. Officials too agree that poaching and forest fires are a grave threat for the wild stock.

He demands adequate numbers of anti-poaching camps, strong grazing policy, and strong immunisation drive for livestock.