(MY) solving tigers livestock predation problem

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Tuesday December 20, 2005 - The Star

 

 

Taint the meal

 

By HILARY CHIEW

 

If only tigers dislike the taste of cow and buffalo meat – that would

solve the current livestock predation problem, wouldn't it? And if

Jothi Ratnam has his way, he will condition the big cat to detest

cattle.

 

The wildlife biologist thinks there is a chance that a

psycho-behavioural phenomenon called the Conditioned Flavoured

Aversion (CFA) can do the trick.

 

" If you've ever eaten or drunk something, and gotten sick to the point

of vomiting after that, you would usually avoid that food in future.

That is CFA.

 

" So if we feed the tiger with meat of the target prey laced with an

emetic agent like lithium chloride, it will then vomit and avoid that

flavour in the future, " explains Jothi.

 

And the best part is, the aversion will also develop into visual cues,

so even the sight of the prey will be enough to provoke aversion. For

example, a predator conditioned to avoid mutton will also avoid

attacking sheep.

 

According to studies, a single exposure to the treated meat is usually

sufficient to create long-lasting aversion. Based on the pioneering

work of psychologist John Garcia, CFA has been used successfully to

control depredation by a variety of predators.

 

" It has worked in all sorts of animals from coyotes and wolves to

praying mantises. CFA has already been tried successfully on tigers,

albeit in limited trials, " says Jothi. Conditioning predators the CFA

way is highly robust. Jothi says it is advantageous for an animal to

learn to avoid noxious food quickly and permanently since when ill,

they cannot hunt and are vulnerable to other predators.

 

The idea came to Jothi when he learnt about the high incident of

tiger-human conflict in the country. " It is an obvious solution and

one worth trying out. If successful, it will go a long way to

resolving the long-standing problem, " he enthuses.

 

Currently, if villagers locate the kill, they will poison it in order

to kill the tiger. Jothi says with the CFA strategy, villagers could

use a nauseous substance to trigger the CFA response.

 

" This will reduce tiger deaths, " he says.

 

Tigers kill about 50 heads of livestock each year – a small number,

says Jothi, who feels that poisoning of tigers is wasteful. " Tigers

are not hunting livestock because they have no other prey but rather

because cows and buffaloes have wandered into the jungles where the

tigers normally hunt. "

 

Hence, the aim of the proposal is not to save cows and buffalos from

tigers but rather to save tigers from poisoning as well as to

condition them to avoid preying near villages.

 

The 46-year-old Malaysian, who has 30 years of experience in wildlife

conservation abroad, submitted his collaboration proposal to the

Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) in October and is

awaiting a meeting to discuss the idea.

 

Jothi proposes two stages to apply the strategy: zoo and field trials.

He says zoo trials on tigers in the Malacca Zoo need to be conducted

to test the effectiveness and to establish appropriate dosages of

lithium chloride over a period of between eight and 10 months. Based

on the findings of the zoo trials, field trials will follow suit with

wild tigers in areas of high livestock-predation like Jerangau in

Terengganu, Gua Musang in Kelantan and Sungai Siput in Perak.

 

" The field trials will involve placing pieces of treated meat in the

jungle and studying the pre- and post-treatment depredation trends. A

final implementation manual in Bahasa Malaysia with detailed

application methods and budget will be produced at the end of the

study estimated to be within 20 months. "

 

He estimates the cost of implementing the two phases at RM150,000,

excluding the loan (or sponsorship) of a four-wheel drive pick-up

truck for approximately two years. He is optimistic that the proposed

method will have a global reach and put the country in good stead to

export conservation expertise.

 

" If it works well, the method could be applied not just all over

Malaysia but throughout the world, from the Sunderban in the Ganges

delta to Borneo and to many big-cat predation hot spots. Malaysia

would be at the forefront of this increasingly important area of

wildlife conflict management.

 

Jothi's adventure with wildlife was largely in Africa where he worked

on elephant, rhinoceros, crocodile, cheetah, leopard and lion

conservation programmes. His most recent project is the

re-introduction of orphaned lion cubs at the Antelope Park in

Zimbabwe.