Save Tiger
The tiger, one of the most magnificent animals in the world, is also one of the most endangered. A cat of beauty, strength, and majesty, the tiger is master of all and subject to none -- except humans. Of the eight original subspecies of tigers, three have become extinct within the last 60 years; and there are less than 50 South China tigers left on this planet -- few, and possibly none, survive in the wild.
There are five different kinds or subspecies of tiger alive in the world today. These tigers are called Siberian, South China, Indochinese, Bengal, and Sumatran. Their Latin name is Panthera tigris. Tigers are an endangered species; only about 5,000 to 7,400 tigers are left in the wild. Three tiger subspecies, the Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers have become extinct in the past 70 years.
There are five different kinds or subspecies of tiger alive in the world today. These tigers are called Siberian, South China, Indochinese, Bengal, and Sumatran. Their Latin name is Panthera tigris. Tigers are an endangered species; only about 5,000 to 7,400 tigers are left in the wild. Three tiger subspecies, the Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers have become extinct in the past 70 years.
Poachers are continuing to exterminate the world's remaining Tigers. New demand across Southeast Asia for the skins, teeth and claws of tigers is endangering much of the great cats, particularly the Sumatran tiger. Currently, the demand for Tiger parts is centered in several parts of Asia where there is a strong market for traditional medicines made from items like tiger bone and body parts. Volumes are sizeable and there has been little enforcement action against poachers and traders
What Needs to be Done to Save the Tiger:- Local institutions and people Scientists who were closely involved in managing tigers at the local level, Hemendra Panwar of India and Hemanta Mishra of Nepal, pointed out an important lesson more than a decade ago: unless local community needs are met, conservation of the tiger will not succeed and protected areas will perish. Therefore, conservation programmes
must reconcile the interests of people and tigers. In most situations, a sustainable tiger conservation strategy cannot be achieved without the full participation and collective action of individual rural households whose livelihoods depend on rights of access and use of the forests where tigers live.
- Technologies for conservation of resources There already exists a wide range of technologies and practices in forest and watershed management and agriculture, both traditional and new, for conservation of resources. The biological processes that regenerate forests and make agriculture less damaging to tiger habitats take time to become established
- Use of external institutions Institutions, such as NGOs, government departments, and banks, can facilitate processes by which local people develop their sense of ownership and commitment. When little effort is made to build local skills, interest, and capacity, people have no interest or stake in maintaining structures or practices once the incentives for conservation stop. Success hinges on people’s participation in planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, which leads to the formation of new institutions or the strengthening of existing ones
- Conservation of tiger habitat and of prey In many areas peripheral to tiger habitat, grazing lands for livestock have been converted to crops or degraded by excessive use; livestock is of poor quality and of poor productivity; wood for fuel and building has been exhausted; and sources of income are limited. The rehabilitation of the natural resource base of local people is essential if they are not to seek their requirements in protected areas. This requires ecodevelopment with the support and cooperation of specialized government organs and the non-governmental conservation community.
TIGER RESERVES IN INDIA
Kanha Tiger Reserve
The herds are shut in byre and hutFor loosed till dawn are we.
This is the hour of pride and power,
Talon and tush and claw.
Oh, hear the call!- Good hunting all
That keep the Jungle Law!
- Rudyard Kipling, Jungle Book
Kanha National Park in the Mandla District spreads over 1,945 sq.km of dense sal forests, interspersed with extensive meadows and trees and clumps of wild bamboo. This area known as Kipling Country' is where all the jungle books of Rudyard Kipling were conceived.
Geographical Details :
- Longitude - 89"-32' to 89"-45' E .
- Latitude -22"-13' to 22"-27' N.
- Topography Code - B
- Altitudinal Range - Elevation range of 1480 to 2950 feet (450-900 meters) above mean sea level
- Average Rainfall - 152 cm
- Temperature -Min 10, Max 35 (deg.Cel)
Tiger population:- 1979 - 71
- 1984 - 109
- 1989 - 97
- 1993 - 100
- 1995 - 97
- 2001- 107
On the wild trail !!!
Flora:
The slopes of the plateaus are very thickly forested with Bija, Haldu, Dhaora as the main trees giving away to strands on almost pure Sal, then Ban-rahar, Bamboo and Sindhur. The park, especially in the cooler and greener months is amazingly scenic and a landscape photographer's dream come true.
Fauna:
Kanha National Park is world famous for it's tigers. Tiger sightings are not as rare as in most other parks of the country. The only other reserves in the country that can claim to have as many sightings as Kanha are Ranthambor and Kanha's own neighbour, Bandhavgarh. Other than the tiger, some of the more frequently seen animals in the park consist of Leopards, Gaur, Sambar , Chausinghas, Nilgais , Sloth Bears, Barking Deer , Swamp Deer (Barasingha) , Blackbuck, Langurs, Wild Boars, Porcupines, Mouse Deer, Hyenas, Jackals and Wild Dogs (Dholes).
The reptile residents of the park consist of Monitor Lizards, Pythons and a large variety of other snakes.Best time to visit:
Kanha Tiger Reserve is closed to visitors during the monsoon months, from July to November. Winter, between November and January, is a comfortable time to visit the park, when the weather’s pleasant. April to June is when the summer sets in; it can get pretty hot at this time, but if you’re a die-hard wildlife fan, this is when a visit can reward you with satisfactory wildlife-watching at the park’s waterholes.
The excursion timings are:
- Nov. 1 - Feb. 15 Sunrise to 1200 hrs., 1500 hrs. to sunset.
- Feb. 16 - Apr. 15 Sunrise to 1200 hrs., 1600 hrs. to sunset.
- Apr. 16 - Jun. 30 Sunrise to 1100 hrs., 1700 hrs. to sunset.
How to get there:
Khatia (3 km from Kisli) and Mukki are the two main entry points to the Park. The nearest town is Mandla (65 km).
By air: Nearest airports are located at Jabalpur (170 km), Raipur and Nagpur (270 km).
By rail: The closest railheads are at Jabalpur and Bilaspur.
By road: A daily bus service is available for Kisli and Mukki from Jabalpur, and back. It is advisable to reach Kisli before sunset, as vehicles are not allowed in the park after dark.
Accommodation:
Accommodation for tourists visiting Kanha consists of MPSTDC log huts (befittingly named the `Bagheera Log Huts’, in tribute to Kipling’s leopard from Jungle Book) and a youth hostel. Rooms here cost between Rs 700 to 900, and can be booked through the MPSTDC offices in Delhi, Bhopal and Jabalpur. Dorm beds at the youth hostel cost Rs 300, inclusive of meals.
Government Of India - Initiatives
The conservation endeavours in India have been primarily focused on saving tigers, which is one of the key wildlife species in the faunal web. The major threats to tiger population are numerous, such as poaching for trade, shrinking habitat, depletion of prey base species, growing human population etc. The trade of tiger skins and the use of their bones in traditional medicines especially in the Asian countries left the tiger population on the verge of extinction. Since India and Nepal, provide habitat to about two-thirds of the surviving tiger population in the world, these two nations became prime targets for poaching and illegal trading.
Wildlife Division in the Ministry is responsible for carrying out the activities pertaining to Wildlife conservation with the State Governments and to provide financial and technical assistance to them for scientific management of the wildlife resources in the country.
Wildlife Division in the Ministry is responsible for carrying out the activities pertaining to Wildlife conservation with the State Governments and to provide financial and technical assistance to them for scientific management of the wildlife resources in the country.
It is also responsible for carrying out the events associated with wildlife research and training of personnel involved in wildlife management through Wildlife Institute of India. Presently Wildlife Division is headed by the Addl. Director General of Forests (Wildlife) who is also Director, Wildlife Preservation and the Management Authority of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).
Indian Board For Wildlife (IBWL):
The IBWL is the top notch advisory body in the field of Wildlife Conservation in the country and is headed by the Honorable Prime Minister of India. The IBWL has been reconstituted w.e.f. 7.12.2001. The XXI meeting of the IBWL was held on 21.1.2002 under the Chairmanship of the Honorable Prime Minister of India at New Delhi.Following resolutions were adopted by the Board:
Wildlife and forests shall be declared a priority sector at the national level for which funds should be distinguished and earmarked.
Law enforcement agencies should ensure that those involved in poaching, illicit trade in wildlife and wildlife products, destruction of their habitat, and such other illegal activities are given quick and deterrent punishment.
All efforts should fully tap the potential in wildlife tourism and at the same time take care that it does not have adverse impact in wildlife and protected areas. The revenue earned from increased tourism should be used entirely to augment available resources for conservation.
Protecting interests of the poor and tribals living around protected areas should be handled with sensitivity and with maximum participation of the affected people. They should have access to the minor forest produce, in the forest outside of national parks and sanctuaries. Employment and means generation for these people is crucial for maintaining symbiosis between the forests, wildlife and the people. People should be encouraged to take up afforestation and conservation in new areas.While strengthening protective measures against traditional threats to wildlife, we should also respond to newer threats such as toxic chemicals and pesticides.
There should be greater governmental as well as societal recognition and support for the many non-governmental organisations engaged in wildlife conservation. Mainstream media to better highlight their activities as also successess of governmental initiatives that have worked.
Innovatively produced Television Programmes on wildlife and ecology are widely appreciated by young and old as seen from the popularity of dedicated T.V. channels like Discovery, National Geographic and Animal Planet. It is proposed that Prasar Bharati and our private channels alongwith with agencies like WWF for Nature should collaborate and increase original Indian content in different languages on our television.
No diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes from critical and ecologically fragile wildlife habitat shall be allowed.
Lands falling within 10 km. of the boundaries of National Parks and Sanctuaries should be notified as eco-fragile zones under section 3(v) of the Environment (Protection) Act and Rule 5 Sub-rule 5(viii) & (x) of the Environment (Protection) Rules.
Removal of encroachments and illegal activities from within forest lands and Protected Areas.
No commercial mono-culture to replace natural forests.
The settlement of rights in National Parks and Sanctuaries should not be used to exclude or reduced the areas that are crucial and integral part of the wildlife habitat.
More than 2000 vacant posts in the frontline staff of Protected Areas shall be filled immediately and provided basic infrastructure for efficient discharge of duties. Ban on recruitment of staff against vacant post should be lifted on lines with the Police Department. Innovative initiative such as redeployment of surplus employees in other departments, hiring local people on voluntary or honorarium basis, raising donations from business houses and other members of the public in return for a greater role for them in implementing programme need to be explored.
Every protected area should be managed by forest officers trained in wildlife management.
Mitigation measures for human-animal conflict and mechanism for crop insurance as also expeditious disbursements of ex-gratia payments, should be instituted by States.
Forest Commission should be set up to look into restructuring, reform and strengthening the entire forest set up and affiliated institutions in the country.A working group shall be constituted to monitor implementation of Wildlife Action Plan.
Most importantly let us all resolve that we should end the relative neglect of wildlife conservation in recent year. To begin with Board should meet more often. Wildlife conservation is too important a task to be treated lightly or ritualistically.
