The Vanishing Act - WWF-India

WWF Intl. / Indian Government Press
Panda
March 2005
The Vanishing Act
WWF-Canon / Claire DOOLE
Resting in the shade.
Kanha National Park.
for the Project were lost and the downward slide
became more pronounced. Managers vied with
each other to claim successes that were absurd
and sometimes even beyond the realms of
biological possibility. Most of the gains in tiger
numbers claimed by states and ratified by Project
Tiger on behalf of the Central Government in the
1980s and early 1990s were deliberately
exaggerated. Yet this projection was permitted
by the entire hierarchy as a collective conspiracy
to claim non-existent successes. The government
took shelter behind the fact that no other agency
had the capacity to count the tigers and therefore
could not contest their bluff.
The new millennium has so far proved to be quite
disastrous for the tiger. Many of the well known
areas have lost most of their tigers. Prominent
among these are Indravati, Nagarjunasagar-
Srisailam, Palamau, Manas, Namdapha and very
recently Sariska in Rajasthan has joined this
group. But there is a glaring difference between
the extinctions in Sariska and the loss of tigers
in all the other areas. While Nagarjunasagar-
Srisailam, Indravati, Manas, Namdapha and
Palamau have been facing serious insurgency for
over a decade and are no longer under the full
control of the forest department, Sariska faced
no such problem. Yet in a matter of 6-8 months
all its tiger population was eliminated and till
this fact was pointed out by outside agencies, the
Park’s management had remained blissfully
unaware of the happenings. Sariska is probably
one example where continuous exaggerated
reporting of tiger numbers created a huge gap
between fact and fiction. When all the factually
existing tigers were killed, those existing only
on paper had to ‘die’ too. Suddenly Sariska found
itself without a single of the claimed 18-22 tigers.
In all probability, the number of tigers that were
actually poached was only a fraction of the
claimed population.
What should be of serious concern to all is that
rampant exaggerated reporting of tiger numbers
throughout the country over the last two decades
has created a situation wherein by now there is
probably not even a remote semblance of truth
in what is being claimed. This has created a
Sariska-like situation in many of our Parks. If
this is not recognized and addressed immediately,
more Parks could go Sariska’s way very soon.
While Sariska has already toppled, many are still
living on a knife’s edge and could topple either
way any time.
The 1990s saw a second tiger crisis which has The recent measures announced by the Prime
continued with varying intensity ever since. This Minister during the last meeting of the National
crisis was brought about and is being driven by Board of Wildlife demonstrate a welcome interest
an illegal trade in tiger parts. Within the first few at the highest political level. If past events are
years of its emergence, most of the modest gains any indication of what is to be expected, it will
made in the first twenty years of Project Tiger be interesting to see how most of these will be
had been lost. But the reporting of tiger numbers diluted by the bureaucracy in Delhi. Reasons for
has not kept pace with this reality. Had we ignoring the rest will be found at the state level.
not been dealing with the future of one of the After all, Forests and Wildlife are concurrent
Mrs Indira Gandhi, Prime most charismatic animals of the world, the Indian subjects! Aren’t they?
Minister of India, with tiger
cub on her fiftieeth birthday.
Government’s claim of still holding over
3500 tigers would be a fine example of a
4 comical fantasy!
Ranjit Talwar / rtalwar@wwfindia.net