Report of the Tiger Task Force - PRS

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TIGER TASK FORCE REPORT JOINING THE DOTS ■India after a 10 day site visit with two seniorbiologists and eight Ph.D. students. They alsofound no evidence of tigers and shockinglyfound a wild boar stumbling round dragging atiger trap in its legs. This was March and youcan imagine how many steel traps were spreadacross the heart of this tiger reserve.(4) It is understood that the CBI report on Sariskatalks of:a) Grossly inflated census figures over 10years related to the maximum sustainablepopulation – 80% margin of error.b) 75% of staff are untrained and unsuitablefor extensive on foot responsibilities.c) More than 3000 hectares of the tiger reserveis encroached.d) Complete lack of monitoring andastonishment regarding the fact that NOintelligence was gathered on poachers –glaring failure of intelligence by forest staff.e) No effort to effectively patrol or maintaincommunication with villagers.We must examine this example – it must bereflective of several areas in India. If thesefactors are true for other areas there is littlechance of saving tigers. Also examine why theCBI was able to find all this in 2 days and ProjectTiger ‘not at all’. This will be the only way tounderstand the root of the problem that afflictsour tiger reserves. We need to send the Sariskacase history to all our Project Tiger reserves andother protected areas so that such a debacle isnever repeated.If the CBI can get into Predator-Preydensity ratios, statistics and census analysiswhat stopped Project Tiger doing this in earlieryears?(5) We also need to study the Kela Devi examplewhere in 600 odd sq. kms of this sanctuary (apart of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve) inFebruary 2005 there were written recordsstating that for moths there were no signs of anytigers. In fact in February this wascommunicated to the Field Director ofRanthambhore Tiger Reserve.Yet when the Additional D.G. (Wildlife) and theDirector, Project Tiger went to RanthambhoreTiger Reserve for a site visit immediately afterSariska (23 rd February, 2005) what did they writein their site visit report?They wrote:”The alleged disappearance of 18 tigers fromRanthambhore Tiger Reserve is misleading andnot true. There is a daily monitoring system inplace wherein details of tigers utilizing differentparts of the habitat within the reserve arerecorded.”The idea of daily monitoring of tigers withoutradio collars in an absurdity. While on the 23 rdFebruary, 2005 Director, Project Tiger wasmaking these comments on a site visit toRanthambhore Tiger Reserve the DeputyDirector, Project Tiger, Sawai Madhopur (buffer)had on the 3 rd February, 2005 (20 days earlier)sent a letter to the Field Director saying that in alarge component of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve– which is Kela Devi Sanctuary – there was noevidence of tigers, pugmarks or faecal matter. On16 th March, 2005 he again sent a letter to FieldDirector stating that after intensive patrolling hecould not find anything and finally the FieldDirector sent a letter to chief Wildlife Warden on31 st March, 2005 saying that the tigers in KelaDevi were down from 6 to 0. Local extinction.(b) “The Project Tiger Directorate receivesupdating periodically from tiger reserves onimportant events / happenings, as well asmortality of wild animals due to poaching /natural deaths, complemented by factualinformation gathered during frequent fieldvisits of MoEF officials. Therefore, there isno collapse of any warning system.”“The alleged decline of tiger counts across thecountry is only a speculation at this stage by NGOsand media.” Is this why the Deputy Director’sletters of 3 rd February and 16 th March, 2005 werenot acted on? Or is it because there was noknowledge of them? Both are terrible examples ofmonitoring or early warning mechanisms!It is obvious that from both the examples ofSariska and Ranthambhore that one part ofProject tiger (the field) did not know what theother part of Project Tiger (Delhi) was doing orvice verca. There is obviously no dailymonitoring, let alone communication of it toProject Tiger, Delhi. Project Tiger (Delhi)appears to live in the dark about most matters.Analyse both these examples. They must besymptomatic of reserves across India. We needto find ways to prevent such horrific events.(6) We must also look at the role of activist NGO’s bothin Sariska and Kela Devi. In Sariska RajendraAnnexures 177
■ JOINING THE DOTS TIGER TASK FORCE REPORTSingh’s Tarun Bharat Sangh was deeply involvedwith wildlife matters. They had in the late 1990’sheld a Bagh Bachavo Yata and have stated thatthey had sent some warning of the crisis of 2004 tothe forest department. In Kela Devi another NGOhad played a role in preventing livestock fromouter areas to come in and it was a much quotedexample of people’s participation in wildlifeprotection. Arun Jindal from the Society forSustainable Development based in Karauli had foryears been supporting a process of participation.So had Rajendra Singh. Let’s learn from theirfailures – since the tiger has gone from both areas.(7) Co-opting as a special invitee the head of theinvestigation in Sariska Shri B.K. Sharma fromthe CBI and asking him to make a presentationboth on Sariska and other areas in terms ofpoaching and illegal trade.(8) Provide a mandate to the CBI to continueinvestigations into poaching, illegal trade etc. allover India and this will be an immediatedeterrent to the accelerating activities ofpoachers. This will have to be recommended bythe Prime Minster.(9) Immediate educational awareness campaign inthe media regarding threats of poaching, illegalwoodcutting by timber mafias and encroachmenton forest land by commercial groups includingmining mafias.(10)All relevant reports, CBI, WII, Project Tigerassessments and evaluations, earlier reports i.e.Wildlife Crime Bureau, SubramanyamCommittee, affidavits of MoEF to the SupremeCourt, Supreme Court orders to be provided forthe reference of the Committee immediately.The CBI report will be essential reading for everyPark Director across India.(11)Activate all State Wildlife Advisory Boards toconvene meetings since these institutions need tobe alerted to the gravity of the problem andthereby take necessary steps to diffuse theproblems. These boards are also like earlywarning systems that can help to detect otherproblems.(12)Immediate implementation of the new WildlifeCrime Prevention and Control Bureau as endorsedby the National Board of Wildlife on the 17 thMarch, 2005 meeting. This is immediately neededto prevent the illegal trade in tiger derivatives andminimise the activities of poachers.Extracts fromREPORT (UNCORRECTED) OF THE DEPARTMENT –RELATED PARLIAMENTARY STANDINGCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT & FORESTS(139 th & 146 th Reports)PRESENTED TO THE RAJYA SABHA ON THE 25 TH APRIL, 2005(LAID ON THE TABLE OF THE LOK SABHA ON THE 25 TH APRIL, 2005)“The Committee expresses its serious concern overthe sudden disappearance of the Tigers from SariskaTiger Reserve. The Committee feels that thenegligence of Forest staff coupled with the large scalepoaching has cost the country dear. Conditions inmost of the national parks are more or less same,posing a clear danger to protected animal species.Poaching is not a new phenomenon but the poachersare now more advanced with latest weapons andvery powerful communication network, making thelackadaisically managed tiger reserves easy picking.In contrast, forest guards are usually equipped with awooden stick and most of the times without anymeans of communication. Taking note of thisalarming situation, the Committee is of consideredopinion that a Special Task Force at the central orstate level with the involvement of Para-militaryforces must be constituted to combat the menace ofpoaching of wildlife.Moreover, the Ministry should also involve thevillagers living in and around National Parks / Tigerreserves to prevent the poaching as they are aware ofthe tentative movement of the poachers but becauseof poachers’ threats or any other compulsion, theyrefrain from coming out openly to help the forestDepartment to catch the poachers. The Committeestrongly recommends that all vacant positionsshould be filled immediately and at no time any tigerreserve in the country should be left with the juniorofficers.”“The Committee notes the reply of the Ministryand is strongly of the opinion that Ministry’sefforts have in no way improved the state of“project tiger” and management of tiger parks in the178 Annexures
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THE REPORT OF THE TIGER TASK FORCEJ
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ContentsIntroductionExecutive summa
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Report of the Tiger Task Force - PRS

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