Like this:

Chinese Zodiac says 2010 – the year of the Tiger!

That seems to have definitely got a boost from the recession of the year, Tigers world over are a big time spot light this year.

If I had to say – Two words –  ”About time” !

So whats the scoop, in India, we have Dhoni and so many stars in the lime light and so many youngsters blogging and slogging on the topic world over. Sure that seems a big mass – right or ‘just good business’.

If it was so simple to have a resolve to the tiger , we would have had it to go into 10′s of thousands earlier.

I am very passionate about the tiger, not just because it is a magnificent  feline but it is very close to the Indian heart. It forms a very crucial link on the religion and  it is the national animal of the country.

I just decided to check out my luck in watching the animal in its natural habitat, I knew the odds were against me for sure, but what’s the big deal – I will go for it anyway.

A great series to watch about the tiger

Early this year, I made a trip to the jungle down south to the Tamil Nadu – Karnataka border to a place called Hasanur. I was referred this area by a friend from the WWF. I met Mr.Krishna Kumar, the resort owner and a local wild life expert.

Mr.Krishna Kumar offered to take me into the jungle the next day morning and was up for the task. The jungle was brilliant but as expected no tiger at sight. The trip however made me understand many problems surrounding the tiger population, thanks to Mr.Kumar, I could understand the situation.

A brief history of how brutal we were, until the late 50′s Indian government had allowed game hunting. If you had the license and a gun you can kill an animal. One statement, History repeats itself, has always been right. Today, after 50 years, we realize and smack our heads on what we did to the tiger, while without any thought, we are doing the same to other natural resources.

So typical of our approach.

Lets look at our problems and how we are working at it.

Now we have a great campaign going around saying save the tiger, how exactly are we going about it ? Throwing money at the tiger ? We have a different breed of animals that eat money, unfortunately tigers do not fall in that list. I am not saying that money is not going to help, lets look at that later.

Now there are tiger reserves,we, humans know the boundaries, we created them – unfortunately, tigers do not. Tigers go as they please, as food and mate drive them.

It is clearly crazy to keep talking encroachment as one major issue when it comes to tiger conservation. Humans – villagers – who live in forests, it is difficult to relocate them to other areas, they are not IT engineers, they are simple herders and farmers. For them, the tiger is a problem, it kills their cattle, sometimes even humans. In West Bengal – sundarban villages, at least one family member must have been lost to a tiger. It is an emotional problem.

Tigers use the same resources the villagers do. Tigers need natural prey to keep out of village food (cattle is easy prey).

Villagers graze their cattle in shared water holes with the wild life, this causes problems such as foot and mouth disease to spread into the wild life making them unfit game for the main carnivores.

Tigers find it easier to go in search of prey at water holes which are less agile (such as cows / buffalo) and they eventually may lose out on their fear of man.

When a villager loses cattle, he is set out to ‘fix’ the problem – the tiger. They land up poisoning the carcass with pesticides. This not only kills the main carnivore but other scavengers.

Long story short – the problems are more associated with ground level dealings.

Mainly with humans, not in the cities – but those who fight for survival along side the tigers.

a. They need to be compensated properly (for each loss they incur)

- This is not as easy at it sounds, you need more ground level people – rangers to track and approve of a kill – document it – to validate the tiger involvement vs ‘human’ connection. So more resources – the ones that make sense and are dedicated. Ones who work for a passion and not as a job – even in the grass roots.

b. Vaccinations and Veterinary facilities

- The NGO’s must organize regular veterinary camps and clinics for the villages to take care of the needs on the cattle.

- Govt must do all that it takes to help with this (including promoting Vets as a career path).

c. Enhance the ground force to help getting rid of poachers.

There are other innovative ways of enhancing the food and water supply to both the tiger and its prey, we need a broader mind and dedication to make that count. A half hearted ‘job’ would only fuel the grave faster but it has to be done with passion.

Humans have to share the system with the Tigers, make it a life that is possible to adapt and live – money is just needed for that not for fancy ads and people who cannot make a difference in the act.

Get serious and move faster – that is possible and not by hollow promises.

People like Mr.Kumar and WWF in India are doing a phenomenal job in fighting this battle alone – its time we either helped them directly or form units to help them.

- Ravi

Write to me if you are interested in helping in anyway!