The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS), home to the largest number of tigers in the State, is losing out on tiger reserve status following resistance by the local people.
The sanctuary, spread over 344.44 sq km, is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere in the Western Ghats and contiguous to the tiger reserves of Nagerhole and Bandipur of Karnataka and Mudumalai of Tamil Nadu. A recent tiger monitoring programme of the Forest Department found that 75 of the 176 tigers in the State are in the WWS, which is part of a large forest complex holding the single largest population of tigers in India. But, it receives minimum support from central agencies owing to the dearth of tiger reserve tag.
“Scaremongering by political and religious groups and vested interests against declaring the WWS as a tiger reserve is having a bearing on conservation in Wayanad. It is the people who are losing out as funds would have helped to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and relocate villages inside forests,” N. Badusha, president of Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti, said.
While the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, which has about 25 tigers, gets an average of ₹5 crore a year, the WWS is getting only one-fifth of the amount, Forest Department sources said.
The department or the succeeding governments have not taken any step to sensitise the public about the significance of declaring it a tiger reserve and its benefits, says T.C. Joseph, chairman, Wayanad action committee on prevention of wildlife attacks.
Mr. Joseph said adding that the department should provide opportunities for people’s representatives and village leaders to visit adjacent sanctuaries and interact with villagers on the fringes of tiger reserves to clear their apprehension.
No new curbs
B.N. Anjan Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife, Palakkad, said no new restrictions would be imposed when a sanctuary was turned into a tiger reserve. On the other hand, setting up of a tiger reserve would be beneficial to the villagers as huge funds would be allotted to the reserve for wildlife management, he said.
It would also help expedite the relocation project of settlers inside the sanctuary, he added.
