Posted on 06/24/2015 11:09:26 PM PDT by OrthodoxIndianCatholic
Introduction :
Wild Tigers are the "Flagship Species" of Indian Forests. The Balance of Nature is in their hands. There is an amazing predator-prey relationship in Tiger - rich Forests all across India. They control the burgeoning population of Herbivores in the Forest. Without Tigers, Herbivores would overrun the Forest completely.
For Example in Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Eastern Maharashtra, the favourite prey of Tigers are "Wild Boars" or "Wild Pigs". This was documented very well in a book called "Tiger Fire" by Valmik Thapar.
In Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, the favourite prey of Tigers are Sambhar Deer, Spotted Deer, and Blue Bull also known as "Neelgai".
That having been said, we must now take a realistic look at the future of the Tiger in India as it exists in the 21st Century and we need to see for ourselves what we need to do to foster "Tiger Conservation".
Notes on Tiger Conservation in India and on the decline of Tiger Population in several reserves :
Tigers are in decline throughout their range and the Global Population of 3,200 Tigers of which 70% survive in India is severely threatened by various "pressures".
Consequently, despite international conservation efforts the range of the Tiger has declined by 40% or more in the last decade.
India has made a "tremendous effort" towards tiger conservation by establishing as many as 43 Tiger Reserves and several more are in the pipeline in the near future.
However, the mere "declaration" of protected areas as "Tiger Reserves" has not succeeded in maintaining a healthy population of this "Big Cat Predator" in these reserves as is evident from the rampant poaching of tigers from Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan in 2004 and from Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh in 2009.
Again, the low density tiger population in as many as 16 Tiger Reserves due to insurgency in reserves such as Palamau in Jharkhand, Similipal in Orissa, Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh, Indravati in Chattisgarh, Valmiki in Bihar, and so on are major worries for the future of the Tiger in India.
Something to cheer about as regards Tiger Conservation:
It is therefore, important to strengthen "Tiger Conservation" in parts of India where "Law and Order" issues do not pose a problem; such that the continued existence of the "Tiger" can be ensured in at least some part of its range.
The Southern Half of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, at the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala constitutes arguably one of the finest conservation areas in the global range of the Tiger.
There are large stretches of "Prey Rich" contiguous forests in this area.
The need of the Hour is to establish "Siruvani Conservation Reserve" in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and "Nilambur Conservation Reserve" in Kerala to bolster and increase the conservation of large herbivores and carnivores in this geographical area.
With this suggested extension, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu could become the finest habitat for tigers across the "Indian Subcontinent" given the differences in altitude, topography, and climate which produce a diversity of Forests and grasslands providing the tiger with an assortment of prey ranging from the Nilgiri Tahr in the High Altitude Grasslands to Blackbuck in the low lying dry deciduous and dry thorn forests.
Conclusion :
The Long Term Goal for the inter- state tiger landscape where Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is located, should be to have a minimum population of 300 Breeding "Adult Tigers" along with a thriving population of mega-herbivores such as Wild Indian Bison, Sambhar Deer, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer etc.
"All is not lost" as far as Tiger Conservation is concerned. The Bandipur- Nagarhole-Mudumalai-Wayanad Forest Complex in South India is home to more than 550 Wild Tigers - the single largest wild tiger population in the world according to the 2014 Tiger Census.
Truly, it seems that "South India" is proving to be a major stronghold of Wild Tigers. Let us keep it that way. The need of the Hour is to protect contiguous Forests and Big Cat Predators in South India like "No Tomorrow".
Credits and References :
Ensuring the Future of the Tiger and other large mammals in the Southern Portion of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, South India By Dr. A. J.T. Johsningh, R. Raghunath, Rajeev Pillay, and M.D. Madhusudan Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society May-August 2010 Pages 77-85
Note : I strongly recommend two excellent books on "Tiger Conservation".
They are as follows:
1) Tiger Fire By Valmik Thapar Published by Aleph Books a Division of Rupa Publishing. (2013)
2) Tiger - The Ultimate Guide by Valmik Thapar Published by Oxford University Press in collaboration with Two Brothers Press - (2004)
Greetings again from Mumbai, India.
Saving Tigers is essential and important as Tigers help to control the burgeoning population of Herbivores in the "Forest Ecosystem".
Tigers are "Apex Predators" that occupy the top spot in the Forest Ecosystem.
Without Tigers, Forests would have large populations of herbivores grazing indiscriminately leading to a collapse of the "Natural Habitat".
At Least 16 Tiger Reserves in Eastern India and North-east India have very few tigers or virtually no tigers at all- all because of "Lawless Forces" that live in these Tiger Reserves and also because of rampant poaching of these striped "Big Cat Predators".
The Western Ghats or the Western Mountain Range in South India is home to the single largest population of wild tigers in the world. This is because of excellent "Wildlife Management" by the States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala in South India.
There are contiguous "Prey Rich Forests" in South India.
This has helped "Tiger Conservation" in South India a lot.
I strongly believe that Tigers in South India will experience a massive growth in their population in years to come.
Let me know your opinion on this article.
Not good for tigers, and not just Indian tigers. Siberian tigers are facing increased poaching pressure, as are Sumatran tigers.
To make things even crazier, lions in Africa are facing increased poaching pressure! Why? Because when tiger bones are getting rarer to get, lion bones are a ready substitute (can the end consumer really differentiate between powdered lion bone and powdered tiger bone, or the gallbladders of the two? Doubtful since both cats are virtually the same once you remove the skin, and can breed to produce fertile offspring).
I hope I am wrong, but I think poaching pressure for the tiger will increase until the only solution is armed guards tracking the tigers (that they have had to do with the Northern white rhino in my country, which is also a lost cause as there is only one male left in the world ...)
It will take time to teach people that the supposed magical properties of poached animal parts are imaginary. Likewise, it takes time to turn a culture that is accepting of poaching these beautiful animals against the practice. I have read of efforts to turn people’s attitudes around.
The attitudes are changing, but slowly. It is mostly among young people that a more conservationist mentality is growing.
Another factor that helps with conservation and environmentalism is development: the closer countries get to first world status, the more they become concerned about natural ecosystems.
I’m all for aggressive measures to stamp out poaching. This article gives some hope that those measures are helping in parts of India.
It may be that the key to saving many of these threatened species is genetic - I have recently read about a substitute for rhino horn that had all the markers for the real deal, but it was fake.
“Tyger tiger burning bright in the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye dare frame thy fearful symmetry”
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