So why did the Rajasthan forest department shift a 'wrong' tiger to the Sariska Tiger Reserve, endangering the animal, destroying the 'social structure' of both the reserves, and perhaps betraying the original experiment of tiger conservation?
Akash Bisht Delhi
A day after a new tiger (T-12) from Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) was introduced in the Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR), wildlife experts in RTR have raised doubts about the procedure involved in selecting the tiger. Many believe that the entire selection process has been nothing but shoddy and the Rajasthan wildlife department has much more to reveal than what meets the eye. The STR reserve had earlier set a rather unfortunate record in tiger conservation whereby all its tigers had disappeared, mostly poached, with the administration playing blind and deaf.
Dharmendra Kandhal, a field biologist in RTR, raised concerns about the entire selection process. "Scat (excreta) samples of tigers were sent to Bangalore for DNA tests to avoid genetic incompatibility. The area from where this tiger was selected was regularly frequented by more than eight tigers -- so how did the forest department determine which scats belonged to whom," he said.
Another wildlife expert corroborated the fact. The forest department was unable to locate the tiger they intended to shift to STR, he claimed. Hence, "in a last minute effort" T-12 was tranquilised and moved to avoid embarrassment.
KK Garg, Field Director, STR, confirmed the news: "We had zeroed down on two tigers. When we were unable to locate the first one, we decided to go with this one." He mentioned that the two tigers --T12 and T33 - had been selected after DNA tests were done by the National Centre for Biological Science in Bangalore.
Shockingly, Kandhal reveals that T-33 wasn't even among the short-listed tigers. Apparently, that forest department moved the tigers in an unusual hurry. He said, "The problem was that Jairam Ramesh was already there and so was the team from Wildlife Institute of India. To save themselves from humiliation, the forest department decided to dart the other tiger they didn't intend to."
Additionally, according to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines, male tigers between 2 to 4 years and females between 2 to 3 years who are independent of the mother but are yet to establish their territory should be chosen for translocation. The guideline reads: "This age group is ideal for translocation as removal of these individuals may not result in disruptions to the source population (turnover of males, territorial fights, infanticide etc). They also have a high reproductive potential and are ideal for starting a new population. Breeding individuals from host populations should not be translocated."
Kandhal says that the newly relocated tiger is between the age group of 6 to 7 years and has a territory of his own in the core area. "Instead of choosing a sub-adult who doesn't have a territory of his own, the forest department went ahead with T-12. Why has the Rajasthan forest department flouted the NTCA guideline and shifted a tiger that could threaten the host population? They are compromising with the social structure of RTR and it will have an adverse implication on the tiger population of the park," Kandhal says.
Meanwhile, the newly shifted tiger has been kept in a one hectare enclosure and would be released once it gets acclimatised. Experts have mentioned that since the relocated tiger isn't a sub-adult and has a territory of its own in RTR, its 'homing instinct' could drive the predator back to its original habitat.
Recently, a tiger relocated to Panna Tiger Reserve (MP) walked 400 kms through hills, fields, human habitations and rivers towards his home at Pench Tiger Reserve (MP) before authorities caught him and transferred it back to Panna. The "homing instinct" is the animal's capability to perceive direction and helps the animal to return home. Experts believe that this unusual trait could be attributed to the animal's sensitivity to the earth's magnetic field. "The tigers shifted to Sariska earlier had no territory and frequented the peripheral forests so they didn't display such instincts. However, with this male, the Panna episode could well be repeated again," concludes Kandhal.
The distance between STR and RTR is 200 kms. However, experts say, since there is no forest or animal corridors between, the tiger's life can be endangered.
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