DNA SPECIAL: On the Tiger trail

The biggest state of the country now boasts of three tiger reserves viz Sariska, Ranthambhore and the newly-formed Mukundra Tiger Hills. Tiger conservation in Rajasthan has been a mixed bag wherein a few years the population has grown exponentially while on others major feats were achieved by the forest department and even the security of the felines was maintained according to laid procedures. However, then comes a time when the structure formed to protect the big cat starts to crumble as the officials and authorities sit back and relax hoping the days would pass thus. A close look at the past two decades of the Rajasthan Forest department points to the fact. The recent deaths of tigers, both in Sariska and Ranthambhore, only adds to the apathy.

Not too long ago Sariska Tiger Reserve, near Alwar, formed the western most limit of the tigers in wild natural habitat. However, the tigers at Sariska fell prey to poaching activities and in the year 2005, the state government was shocked to learn that all of its tigers had been poached. Over two dozen tigers had been poached and the forest department did not even get a whiff of what was going on.

Following the Sariska debacle, the state machinery initiated a project to trans-locate the tigers from Ranthambhore. This was the first such attempt to relocate tigers in the world. Prior to this, Sariska tigers formed a distinct cluster of tigers in India, however, with tigers from Ranthambhore getting released here, that distinction is long gone now.

After meticulous planning, the first tiger–ST1–was released in Sariska from Ranthambhore. Soon, two more were released, however, tragedy struck again when ST1 was found dead. The feline had been poisoned by a local. The man was nabbed, however, that was not the end of troubles for both the tigers and the department. For the next four years, the tigers at Sariska did not breed. This raised some serious questions over the viability of the project. A long term scientific study by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) revealed that the Sariska tigers were under a lot of pressure from human activities going on in the area and due to which they were tense and the females were not able to conceive.

However, in 2012, the first litter was born and it appeared Sariska was getting back on its feet. For the next five years, Sariska became a haven for tiger activities. Tourism also increased with regular sighting of cubs with their mothers as the number of tigers increased to fourteen in just five years till 2017.

When it seemed that Sariska was truly heading back to its golden age, tragedy struck again. A tigress from the reserve – ST5 – went missing in early 2018 and the forest department has no idea about its whereabouts. While the department still maintained that the tigress cannot have been poached, the warning bells rung for the second time as now tiger ST11 was found dead in a poacher’s snare. Officials denied that it was poaching. However, they stood corrected when investigation into the matter revealed that a farmer who had set the snare was part of a poaching gang.

While a host of things remain to be corrected in Sariska, there is hope again. In the last days of April 2018, tiger ST14 was captured in a camera trap image with two cubs. The park is now home to eight tigresses, four tigers and two cubs.

Meanwhile, the story in Ranthambhore is completely different. The reserve has reached its optimum carrying capacity and cannot accommodate any more tigers. As a result there has been a spill-over of felines into nearby forests. However, Ranthambhore also has its fair share of problems. Nearly a dozen tigers have gone missing from the park in the past five years, of which there is no trace of them even today. More importantly, the forest department is happy to remove these tigers from out of their official list without giving any proper explanation. The missing tiger list also includes T17, the daughter of would famous Machli. Her absence did not create any ripples in the forest babudom, although local villagers even went to the length of informing the forest officials that the feline had moved out of the park and near to a village where mining mafia rules supreme. Moreover, no investigation into any missing tiger incident is also a major issue here over which the officials are keeping tight lipped.

It is interesting to note here that the forest official pride themselves over solving case of death of a feline by just visiting the remains. Their submissions might be important in taking away the heat, but time and again it has been proven wrong. Case in point is the discovery of remains of a tiger in 2014. The officials were quick to claim that he animal had died in a territorial fight with another tiger and termed it a natural death. For protocol’s sake, the viscera of the feline was sent to the WII for investigation and this is where the tables turned. WII found that the tiger did not die in the way as claimed by field officers, but due to poisoning. The officers, however, managed to put the entire issue on the back burner and ultimately let it die down as no investigation was initiated and to this day no one even knows about the identity of the dead tiger.

Interestingly, in the first four months of this year, Ranthambhore has already lost three tigers including two sub-adults. Fight for territory between tigers is a normal occurrence here as the carrying capacity has been reached. The inclusion of Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary into the reserve area has eased the pressure to a certain extent but for the future of the reserve, a bigger area is required.

And this bigger area, according to the state government, could be the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) near Bundi. Not too far from Ranthambhore, lies MHTR where the initial plan was to relocate tiger after removing the villages and anthropogenic activities. However here too, the department has fallen short on working in an effective way.

A tiger needs three basic things – food, water and no human intervention. The forest department failed to address any of these issues. However, the department can be seen patting its own back by relocating a tiger here. When the department received permission from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to relocate the tiger, in its haste to take credit for bringing the tiger and thus tourism to Hadoti, they relocated a feline without following the NTCA’s guidelines. Interestingly, the department spent crores of rupees and formed an enclosure spanning 82 square kilometers for releasing the tiger claiming it to be natural surrounding for the feline when it is nothing more than a larger zoo enclosure. Moreover, no work was undertaken to improve vegetation for prey base which itself was very low. The department has to bring in deer and antelopes from far-away places to release them in the enclosure for the feline.

And to top it all, the NTCA has taken back its permission for reintroduction of two tigresses here since the department did not follow its guidelines. With this, the lone tiger at MHTR has little hopes of finding a mate on time, all due to those who tried to outsmart themselves.

MUKUNDRA RESERVE NEW HOPE

According to the state government, could be the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) near Bundi. The initial plan was to relocate tiger after removing the villages and anthropogenic activities here in the area.

WHAT A TIGER NEEDS?

According to wild life experts a tiger needs three basic things–food, water and no human intervention. The state forest department has so far failed to address any of these issues.

SARISKA SAGA

• Sariska Tiger Reserve, near Alwar, forms the western most limit of the tigers in wild natural habitat.
   
• Tigers here fell prey to poaching activities as over two dozen tigers had been poached in 2005.
   
• A shocked state government initiated a project to trans-locate tigers from Ranthambhore to mend ways.
   
• Thus started first such attempt to relocate tigers in the world.
   
• After meticulous planning, the first tiger–ST1–was released in Sariska from Ranthambhore. Soon, two more were released.
   
• Tragedy struck again when ST1 was found dead. The feline had been poisoned by a local.
   
• For the next four years, the tigers at Sariska did not breed raising some serious questions over project’s viability.
   
• In a major relief in 2012, the first litter was born and for next five years, Sariska became a haven for tiger activities.
   
• The number of tigers increased to fourteen in just five years till 2017.
   
• Year 2018 again brought bad news. A tigress ST5 went missing from the reserve and the forest department had no idea about its whereabouts. 
   
• To make matters worse tiger ST11 too was found dead in a poacher’s snare.
   
• In the last days of April 2018, tiger ST14 was captured in a camera trap image with two cubs. 
   
• The park is now home to eight tigresses, four tigers and two cubs.

RANTHAMBHORE SAGA

• Ranthambhore reserve has reached its optimum carrying capacity and cannot accommodate any more tigers.
   
• Nearly a dozen tigers have gone missing from the park in the past five years, of which there is no trace of them even today.
   
• The missing tiger list also includes T17, the daughter of would famous Machli.
   
• In the first four months of this year, Ranthambhore has already lost three tigers including two sub-adults. 
   
• Fight for territory between tigers is a normal occurrence here as the carrying capacity has been reached.