DNA Edit: A symphony of roars

It gladdens the hearts of conservationists and animal lovers that tigers in Uttarakhand’s forests — Corbett Tiger Reserve and Rajaji Tiger Reserve — are proliferating. An increase of 63 big cats takes the total adult population to 242 this year, the second-highest in the country.

Additionally, the 11 cubs spotted during the census exercise should be able to see adulthood if forest officials are vigilant against poaching. The state forest department has done a sterling job, which Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat acknowledges wholeheartedly.

Though the numbers call for celebration, India still has a long way to go when it comes to protecting the striped beauties. Between January and April this year, Karnataka lost 12 tigers due to poaching and natural causes. From 2014 to 2016, Madhya Pradesh lost 48 of them for the same reasons.

It’s a cause of major worry for environmentalists. Ideally, the measures to curb poaching and protecting the tiger’s rapidly shrinking habitat should happen simultaneously, involving the local populace for whom the forests are an integral part of existence.

A lot of good work can be done if state governments and the Centre make villagers aware of the incentives that come from preventing poaching. They, too, should reap the benefits of tiger tourism.

If the authorities can minimise man-animal conflicts while guarding the green cover from human greed, there is hope for the country’s wildlife population. If forests are gone, our flora and fauna will disappear too, leaving us trapped in a sprawling concrete jungle.