аЯрЁБс>ўџ ?Aўџџџ>џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС7 №П‚3bjbjUU "@7|7|‚/џџџџџџl„ „ „ „  +.И И И И И И И И ЊЌЌЌЌЌЌ$Y yЎаИ И И И И ав И И хв в в И И И Њв И Њв ив ЊЊИ Ќ  VƒБ гЩh„ Ю ЊЊћ0+Њ'ф ю'Њв йNallamalla Tiger on the brink of extinction! Since the last 16 years, I have been very frequently visiting the NagarjunaSagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) also known as Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary (RGWS). My research and observations during this period are presented herewith. The NSTR is spread over 3,568 square km in the Nallamalla hills. Through this reserve flows river Krishna, the oldest river in the country….creating a north bank and south bank, this beautiful reserve forest covers five districts: Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Prakasam, Kurnool and Guntur. Located 135 kilometers South-East from Hyderabad. It was notified a sanctuary in 1978 and was declared a tiger reserve in 1983. Renamed Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary (RGWS) in 1992. This is the largest tiger reserve in the country, in a single state. Unfortunately the tiger population in this reserve forest is on a very rapid decline. The latest annual census conducted by the A.P. forest department, concluded in May 2009, this unscientific and out dated method of collecting data of tiger population by counting pug marks showed the number of tigers as 65 in 2008 and the 2009 census shows the tiger count as 60, which is highly exaggerated as against the more realistic (off the record) population of not more than 20-25 tigers, in a 3,568 sq km reserve which should sustain over 300 tigers. It is a known fact that “A forest that contains tigers is a healthy forest” this is due to the balance in food chain it helps maintain. A tiger preys on herbivores such as deer and other grass and leaf-eating mammals. In a forest without a tiger, the herbivores eat away the entire forest and their population explodes beyond control finally leading to their own starvation, resulting in a direct impact and strain the forest, the eco-system and finally us. Other mammals include Leopard, Sloth Bear, Wild Dog, Jackal, Wild boar, Pangolin, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Neelgai, Mouse Deer, Black Buck, Chinkara, Chowsinga, Mugger, Python, Cobra, and Porcupine etc. Some of the major reasons for the rapid decline in tiger population are: 1 Tiger killing, poaching 2 Cattle grazing 3 Deforestation 4 Incompetent forest department 5 Shrinking Tiger reserve Tiger killing is done by cattle grazers/villagers by electrocution, or poisoning the carcass of the cattle left by the tiger to be consumed by it the next day. Tiger killing is done when a tiger kills cattle and to avoid further losses the cattle grazer/villager resorts to such means as the monetary compensation by the government is slow and procedural. This man animal conflict is on the rise as over 6 lakh migratory cattle graze in this reserve every day for 8 months of the year, such is the scale of grazing in this reserve that cattle from the neighbouring states also have made it their permanent grazing grounds, previously the cattle grazers had the sympathy of naxalite groups which were largely present in Nallamalla, and the forest guards could not afford to face the consequences of going against the naxalite diktat. Even though presently the naxalite’s have moved out to the other neighbouring states as Nallamalla was not safe anymore from concentrated police combing operations. For reasons best known to them even now the forest department has neither stopped, controlled nor restricted the high volume of cattle grazing, though it is in their jurisdiction to do so. Cattle grazing continues at full scale consuming the fodder, which is meant for the resident wildlife of the reserve, particularly the antelope family, namely the Spotted deer, Sambar, Nilgai and other antelopes/ herbivores which make up the natural diet of the Tiger. More extensive damage is done when when the forest floor is deliberately set on fire for new flush of grass by the migratory cattle grazers directly resulting in degradation and destroying of the forest ensuing the breakage of the food chain, loss of tiger habitat. This starts a cycle of food scarcity for the tiger, which resorts to killing cattle as an alternative for survival. Tiger poaching is done for tiger parts, which have high demand in China and other Far East countries for its alleged medicinal properties, the parts are smuggled across the border and fetch very high price. Though there still are no official confirmations or reports of poaching in this region, in spite of two tiger skins being seized over four years ago in Secunderabad, one person was caught in an attempt to sell them, on interrogation it was revealed that tigers were killed in NSTR by poisning. Timber, bamboo smugglers/ contractors backed by local politicians, cattle grazing and illegal clearing of forestland being converted to farmland and encroachments are major reasons, which contribute to deforestation, this in turn changes the natural landscape and density of the forest cover that sustains the very existence of the tiger. Most common methods of Tiger killing: 1 Poisoning the tiger kill 2 Electrocution 3 Cable snaring 4 Shooting with Rifle Poisoning the tiger kill, When a Tiger kill antelope or cattle, it consume what it can the same day and the rest is stored in an isolated place in the forest for the next day, this is when the carcass is poisoned. Poachers, cattle grazers and villagers adopt this technique. Electrocution, Electricity power meant for drawing water from bore wells or open wells is used in this method of killing, usually these high voltage wires are laid for herbivores that destroy standing crop and also for game meat. Cable snaring, motorcycle clutch cables are used as snares with meat as bait to lure the tiger, once a leg of the tiger is caught in the well laid out snare it is impossible for the tiger to free itself, only later to be killed by the poacher by any means from boulder to rifle. Shooting with Rifle, Poachers and trophy hunters mostly adopt this method of killing the tiger. A fresh lease of life can be given to the reserve if the State Governor or Chief Minister heads the project, increase the numbers of trained and dedicated forest personnel to be deployed with jeeps and communication equipment, salaries of forest personnel of all categories to be raised as an incentive to attract new recruitments, provide food for staff working in the field, intensive patrolling by the forest personnel in the buffer zones and core areas of the forest can bring to an end the killing and poaching of wild animals, felling of trees, encroachment on forest land, smuggling of timber, burning of forest by cattle grazers, control cattle grazing for only local herdsmen, check cattle kills and pay compensation at the earliest, plant new saplings and maintain them, revise the entry timings on the highway passing through the reserve, use ‘Camera trap’ or ‘Radio collaring’ method for an authentic data collection of tiger population, active involvement of individuals and NGO’s for transparency during census, Use ‘Project Tiger’ funds judiciously. On 25th December 2006, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India rapped the state government for assigning “very low priority” to `Project Tiger,' a Centrally-sponsored scheme, to ensure a viable tiger population for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values. According to the CAG report for the year-ended March 31, 2006, tabled in the Assembly, the performance audit review "showed that the tiger habitat in the Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary (RGWS), (NSTR) is shrinking and that there is real danger that the number of tigers in it is dwindling". The report said the consolidation of the reserve was delayed for nearly 20 years leading to continuous encroachment. "No action has been taken for checking encroachment or for the translocation of people from the sanctuary. There is a large and growing increase in the human/cattle population causing enormous biotic pressure on RWGS." The report further stated that the management plans were not comprehensive and the allocation and expenditure on `Project Tiger' was only a meager 3 per cent of the total expenditure on all the schemes in RGWS. It also faulted the tiger census conducted every year as "unscientific, unsystematic and therefore unreliable for verifying the actual population of tigers." Adding to the existing misery is the movement of vehicular traffic on the highway in the sanctuary area that is disruptive for the movement of animals in the migratory corridors of the reserve, which crisscross the highway. Animal movement takes place mostly from dusk till dawn. The gates at the check post at Mannanur should be closed at 6 pm, but they are kept open officially till 9 pm. NSTR is by far the last on the national and international wildlife tourism map, due to lack of basic infrastructure and support such as data sharing and accommodation for wildlife and eco-tourist, intolerance by the forest department towards wildlife enthusiasts and photographers, zero promotion. Like elsewhere in India, Africa and the rest of the world, where there are wildlife parks, national parks, sanctuaries and reserves, wildlife and eco tourism is encouraged by the respective forest departments resulting in a thriving forest-tourist relationship, generating revenue and profits, as a consequence the parks are more developed with the revenue earned and free of poaching and illegal nexuses due to better monitoring and surveillance on a daily basis which takes place there, as a stark contrast to isolated forests like NSTR and Sariska. Why should not NSTR be open to individuals, public, NGO’s? As a citizen it is our constitutional right to visit, monitor, and protect our natural heritage. NSTR is in grave danger of being annihilated, not only by cattle grazer, poachers or timber smugglers, but by the very authorities that we believe would guard and protect it. It is high time the forest department woke up and worked in the right direction rather than misguiding us with fudged census counts and misplaced priorities. Last month in Achampet area a sambar (swamp deer) was shot along with other antelopes, a Tiger skin confiscated in Kothagudem. Going by this trend we can give NSTR Tigers maximum 10 years before total extinction and their counterparts at Adilabad half of that time. Killing the tiger and its habitat is giving a direct death sentence to the whole forest and other animals within, summarily breaking the food chain as flora and fauna depend on each other for their survival. A forest takes centuries to come into existence, not years or decades. 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