EDITS | Tuesday, November 23, 2010 | Email | Print | | Back
Stop illicit trade in tiger body parts
The summit hosted by Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and attended by his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao among other top leaders from 13 tiger-range countries underscores how serious a concern tiger conservation has become globally. The decline of the wild tiger population has been alarming: From 100,000 big cats the jungles a century ago, only 3,200 tigers are left in the forests of these 13 countries. Three subspecies — Bali, Javan and Caspian — have become extinct. With 104 to 119 tigers falling prey to poachers every year, the forecast by the World Wildlife Fund that there won’t be any tigers left to celebrate the next Chinese Year of the Tiger (2022) doesn’t seem to be unduly alarming. This is all the more so because apart from Russia, all other countries have failed to increase the number of tigers in the wild. India is a case in point. The country continues to witness a steady decline in the number of big cats although the Government launched Project Tiger way back in 1973 to identify and address the limiting factors in tiger reserves. The ongoing decline of the tiger population is, in essence, a comment on the loss of forest cover in Asia. Clearly, tigers are fighting a losing battle for their survival as human beings encroach into their natural habitat and the prey base declines. Shrinking forest cover on account of ill-planned development projects and expanding human habitation is one of the reasons behind the rapidly declining tiger population. But the major factor behind the depletion is poaching. Tigers continue to be killed for their body parts which fetch a fortune; those living near or within tiger reserves are easily lured into this illicit trade with hideous consequences: Casual poaching has now turned into organised crime that transcends national borders.
If the political leaders of the countries concerned take a united and firm stand to combat poaching and marshal all necessary resources to prevent tigers from becoming an extinct species, perhaps the big cat may yet survive in the wild. Those attending the tiger summit are expected to discuss ways to strengthen law-enforcement and management of protected wildlife areas. Needless to add, they should focus on putting an end to cross-border illegal trade in tiger body parts by adopting stringent deterrent measures. Simultaneously, there is need for launching a massive awareness campaign as well as involving local populations in protecting tigers. However, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach towards conservation of this endangered animal. Local conditions differ from country to country and require solutions that are region and area specific. For instance, in India the Government can no longer delay relocating human population within tiger reserves and making access to the animal’s habitat as difficult as possible.
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