Report of the Tiger Task Force - PRS

TIGER TASK FORCE REPORT JOINING THE DOTS ■COMPARISON OF MONEY SPENT AREA-WISE IN SARISKATO THE COUNTRY’S AVERAGESariskaAverage ofall reservesAnnual average area-wise fund 2.58 1.01allocation in tiger reserves frominception (Rs lakh per sq km)Source: Compiled from Project Tiger directorate dataconcerned. Therefore, it cannot be argued that morefunds are required to solve the problems of thisreserve. Rs 22 crore has been spent on the reservesince its creation in 1978. Assuming there were 22tigers in the reserve (now known to be a grossoverestimation), the reserve has spent Rs 1 crore pertiger over this period. On an average, the countryspent Rs 23.70 lakh per tiger in this 30-year period(2001-02 census estimates). Compared to that,Sariska has spent four times more — but even thishas turned out to be completely inadequate inprotecting the tigers! Also, the funds available toSariska compared to its area are more than doublethe average for all reserves in the country (see table:Comparison of money spent area-wise in Sariska tothe country’s average).3. The evidence also points to the role of‘commercial’ poaching in the area. Investigations bypark authorities reveal that the first case, involvingbig players like Sansar Chand, occurred in 2001when two leopards were killed. Unfortunately,because of the collapse of the park’s management thecase was not investigated fully. The entry of Chandchanged the economics of poaching in Sariska:poachers used to insignificant returns now hadaccess to large amounts of money, paid up front.Interrogation of poachers has revealed that since2002, when three tigers were killed, poaching hasincreased. In 2003, another three were poached andthe last four fell in 2004.4. Increase in poaching has combined withextremely faulty and negligent conduct of tigercensus in the reserve. To add to the chaos, the dailycamp register (which records the sightings of animalsby staff and which helps verify the census) has notbeen maintained properly. As a result, the earlywarning system in the reserve failed. Till 2004, thepark’s managers believed there were above 20 tigers,which they reduced to 16-18 in 2004. But what isnow emerging is that there may have been even fewertigers — six-10 — left in the reserve. Theseeventually fell prey to poachers.5. The breakdown in the park’s defences has beenaided by the extreme hostility existing among localpeople against the park and its tigers. In thesecircumstances, it is not difficult to understand whythe tigers went missing: they were there for thepoachers to take. In its investigations, the CentralBureau of Investigation found that many villagersassisted poachers in killing the tigers and skinningand removing the carcasses.Reports by local NGOs say villagers saw metaltraps, used by poachers, on the main tiger trails.There were instances when guards confrontedpoachers in the park, but were helpless as they werethreatened at gunpoint. Even with working wirelesssets, they could do little. Moreover, their relationswith local people were so strained that they couldnot get any help from the villages. 6Many researchers have recorded the specialrelationship traditionally existing in Sariska betweenthe gujjars, the tiger and nature. But officialinterference and constant intimidation has led tosuch a breakdown that, today, it is widely suspectedvillagers hired the services of traditional huntingcommunities to ‘protect’ themselves and theirlivestock from the tiger. It is important to note herethat the government has no provision for awardingcompensation for livestock killed by animals inside aprotected area.Over the years, the park management has donelittle to resolve these issues. The futile relocationexercise has generated more distrust. The villagerslive in extreme poverty and deal daily with theharassment. They do not have an option. They areforest-dependent householders, who have to use theresources of the reserve — the fodder and the grazinglands — for their survival.When the Tiger Task Force visited Kankwarivillage, located inside the core area and consideredan important tiger breeding ground, it found villagersexisting on the edge of survival. They lack basicresources such as education and medical facilities.They earn their living through livestock breeding,but face immense hardships in their dailyinteractions with the forest department. They are notallowed to carry fodder and other basic material intotheir village. They live as illegal settlers in their ownland. The village is not a revenue village. It is asettlement within the forest, and its rights have neverbeen determined. Therefore, the forest departmenthas never bothered to recognise even the grazinglands the village is entitled to. It is important to notehere that according to the information given to thetask force during its visit to Sariska by park officials,much of the land under the Sariska tiger reserve hasnot been recorded as forest in revenue records. 7The villagers assured the Task Force they wereprepared to relocate, provided they receivedadequate facilities in the new area. But they distrustrelocation immensely, because of their pastThe assessment 17