'We cannot stop tiger poaching'

By Gyan Varma, Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve (Uttaranchal): Authorities at India's most famous wildlife reserve, once the primary haunt of the tiger, ruefully that they can do little to stop the pernicious practice.

"We cannot stop tiger poaching in the reserve till we are able to nab the people who are buying the skins and other animal parts," Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve director Rajiv Bhartari told IANS.

Last year three cases of poaching were recorded in the reserve - one of a tiger and two of spotted deer.

This in spite of the fact that forest rangers arrested four people in 2005, including Jagga, a notorious poacher said to be behind the death of 70 elephants at the reserve since 2001.

"We do not have enough people to keep a strict vigil on the entire reserve," Bhartari admitted. "Ideally I should have two dozen informers but I do not have enough to tell us about the movements of poachers."

According to a 2004 census, there were 140 tigers and 90 leopards, apart from many other animals and some 500 bird species, in the 1,288-sq km tiger reserve, the first and oldest of the nine tiger reserves in India. Formed in 1936, it was earlier named Hailey National Park before being renamed after the famous wildlife conservationist Jim Corbett in 1956.

British by origin, Corbett had stayed most of his life India and had hunted 50 man eating tiger and 250 leopards between 1907-1939. He had actively worked with villagers to protect animals from being hunted by the royal.

Though it is one of the 27 tiger reserves in India that are part the Project Tiger, the big cats in the reserve are now under threat of being hunted for skin and money. There are around 3,500 tigers left in the wilds in India although in the beginning of the century the number stood at around 10,000.

Bhartari pleaded helplessness in fighting the racket that has international links and strong connections. According to him, unless the government targeted international buyers of animal skins and body parts, it would be extremely difficult to totally stop poaching in the Corbett reserve.

"Tibet has become one of the major centres of animal skin trade and most of the animals skins are smuggled there," he added.

Little known to ordinary people, Tibet - the land of the Dalai Lama and peaceful people - is also host to a major fair in animal skins and parts that is bought by Chinese traders who then sell these to the rest of the world.

The forest department has begun taking help from villagers living in and around the reserve to prevent poaching, Bhartari said.

"We have carried out awareness campaigns so that if villagers find poachers, they inform the forest department," he added. All the poachers who have so far been arrested in the reserve were either caught by the villagers or nabbed with their help.

Bhartari also pointed out an irony: increased tiger sightings that pointed to the well-being of the animals led also to the increased presence of poachers.

This apart, he felt that the number of tourists visiting the park should be regulated. "The government should regulate the number of tourists in the tiger reserves," Bhartari maintained. Over 150,000 tourists visited the reserve in 2005, up from 84,000 in 2004.

Tourists can explore the park in two ways: aboard flatbed trucks or in jeeps. While the movement of trucks has been severely curtailed, restrictions will also be applied to jeeps.

"We used to allow around 90 jeeps in a day inside the reserve but we are now trying to bring the number down to 60," he added.

However, forest officials and local residents admitted that the gatekeepers often allowed vehicles in on the sly.
--
http://sanjaytewari.blogspot.com
http://spaces.msn.com/members/sanjaytanya/
http://spaces.msn.com/members/uttaranchalnews/