KOLKATA: Conservation methods in the Sunderbans have to be changed to save the Bengal tiger, believes legendary conservationist and tiger expert Fateh Singh Rathod.
Unless steps are taken immediately to root out the imminent threats, the number of big cats will continue to dwindle in the mangrove forest, felt Rathod, better known as the "tiger-man of Ranthambore".
In Kolkata to attend a WWF event on tiger conservation, the veteran pointed out that the methods now being employed in the Sunderbans would not be beneficial to either man or tiger in the long run.
"You can't go on trapping tigers and releasing them elsewhere. This is a short cut that won't help. But this is exactly what they have been doing in the Sunderbans. There has to be a planned approach, keeping the interests of the forest, tigers and the people living on the fringes in mind. Tigers will try and go back if they are trapped and shifted out of their original territories. They will somehow manage to find their way back. In a terrain like the Sunderbans, it is quite possible that they might die trying to swim back across turbulent rivers and passing through forests inhabited by other tigers," explained Rathod.
Research on the Sunderbans tiger could help to devise a plan unique to the mangrove forest, he added. "The big cat here is different from any other. Years of hunting on unfriendly terrain has made them lean and aggressive. They have to tread through slush and step on pneumatophores which perhaps make them irritable. None has ever been able to find out crucial facts like the extent of their territory, or hunting habits. Unless we have these details, conservation efforts in the Sunderbans will remain ineffective," said Rathod.
The conservationist also came down heavily on the use of technology for tiger census which remains untested. "Counting tigers is easy in Ranthambore as it is a dry deciduous forest. In the Sunderbans, the terrain is like a quagmire, so you need sophisticated methods. I am all for the use of technology. But aids like camera traps and radio collars should have been used after a proper survey. These are clearly not suited for the mangrove forest and we have ample proof of that. Most radio collars have come off and camera traps destroyed. That negates the technological edge that we were supposed to have," explained Rathod, who now runs an NGO called Tiger Watch at Ranthambore.
Describing his association with the Ranthambore tiger reserve as a life-long one, he said that a true conservationist never retired. "I have been at Ranthambore since 1961. It's been a constant struggle, a 24-hour job and I enjoy every moment at the park. You need to be committed to the cause of the tiger or else the poacher will win," said Rathod.
Those living in the fringe villages in Sunderbans should be given alternative earning opportunities to reduce their dependence on the forest, he suggested.
"Some amount of straying will happen for tigers always look for easy prey in the villages. We need to find ways of curbing this. But trapping them and transporting them to another island is certainly not the solution. Just as they have now put up nylon nets along the forest borders, constructing walls could also be considered," Rathod said.
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