Save Tiger

December 10, 2010
Save Tiger

The conference at St. Petersburg, (Nov 22, 2010), once again focuses world attention on the sad state of our environment.

Only a few days back there was report of another tiger death in Sariska reserve forest. We saw several reports of tiger deaths/poaching in the recent months. The news invariably causes uproar in the media, followed by familiar statements by powerful people. Then there are long spells of silence and inaction till the next report appears again. It has become routine now.
I think we are not able to get a grip on the problem because we have got it all wrong.
Mr Nasiruddin Shah, who anchored the TV serial Turning Point some years back, powerfully explained the logic behind ‘save tiger’. If tigers are there it shows our fauna and flora are healthy, our forests are healthy and, in turn, our environment is healthy. Simplistic, but true and easy to understand. So, the purpose is to keep our environment pristine and healthy, and the tiger is the marker for that.

But every time there is news of any threat to or death of tigers in India, the discourse is always about the animal. It is all about the poaching mafia, business and trade in tiger skin and other banned items, corruption in forest and conservation bureaucracy, tiger census, tiger poisoning, human encroachment on reserve forest, etc. The total health of environment and forest is generally not in focus.

I think fast environmental degradation, which affects the tiger habitat as well, is the crux of the problem. Our forests have become much poorer. They suffer from all round deficit. Be it water, biodiversity, green cover, human population co-habiting the forest, flora and fauna or food chain, each has become impoverished. That is why tigers are threatened, their population is dwindling and their deaths, which are a symptom of the problem rather than the problem itself, are a cause of serious worry.
This is too obvious a fact for the officials, the politicians, the media and the experts not to know. What therefore worries me is why these are never discussed and addressed. Is it because both tiger poaching and conservation are big money and conserving the forest wealth is not?

Much heat is generated about the man-animal conflict and relocation/rehabilitation of forest-dwellers to save tiger. I think human beings co-habiting the forest are as much a part of the forest eco system as water, trees and other animals living there. If they are choosing to indulge in a life threatening business of tiger poaching for livelihood or greed rather than simpler and more traditional alternatives, the society must sit up and do something about it- urgently. Removing forest dwellers to villages and cities is as good a solution as removing the tigers to zoos. Man-animal conflict is as natural as animal-animal conflict. It is an integral part of the eco system and nature’s food chain. It is part of human evolution through survival of the fittest.

If tiger deaths are a symptom of a life-threatening problem for mankind, then the forest dweller is our frontline solder in the fight against getting extinct. He should not be removed. He should be supported with all might to fight the wealth deficit in our forests.