Beasts of fury & power, what’s making so many of them fall ?

[Guest guest]

Link:

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060726/asp/jamshedpur/story_6526106.as

p

Beasts of fury & power, what's making so many of them fall?

DEBJANI ROY

 

The report of the death of tigers at the Birsa Munda Memorial

Biological Park caused me deep anguish not because I am a nature

lover but also because I always prided in the fact that Jharkhand

has such a beautiful park.

 

Spread over an area of 104 hectares of natural forest, this

biological park is set by the side of Getalsud Dam on the National

Highway 33. It was set up with the objective of conservation of

endangered species of Jharkhand as well as sensitising visitors

about the importance of conservation of wildlife.

 

The park lived up to its name and every year people flocked in

thousands to catch a glimpse of the white tiger, the Nilgai, the one

horned rhino and many other species which adorned the park.

 

The serene sprawling campus with elegant Saals made it a perfect

blend of flora and fauna in a man-made habitat. The park authorities

expressed their environmental concern from time to time by banning

plastic bags within the park and also introducing a solar-operated

car for ferrying visitors. Hence, the news of the death of four big

cats and the only white tiger due to a tick-transmitted disease

unnerved me.

 

Tigers are an endangered species; hence they should be preserved.

The National Geographic Society estimates that 100,000 tigers roamed

free on the earth at the turn of last century. However, the number

was down to 5,000 to 7,000 when the 20th Century ended.

 

The major reason that threatens the existence of the tigers, is

indiscriminate poaching for hides, bones and nails. Apart from that,

human encroachment into the tigers' habitat due to extensive

deforestation has also taken its toll. The death of wildlife animals

in captivity or in reserve forest is not an unusual phenomenon.

 

Poaching, poor maintenance, lack of sanitary conditions, lack or

deprivation of food and loss of habitat are some of the common

reasons. But there are other issues which have escaped attention of

most of us. It is the issue of health of tigers. The number of

tigers have dwindled considerably in the recent past due to

epidemics of infectious diseases.

 

In 2000, the Nandankanan Zoo in Bhuvaneshwar reported the death of

12 tigers due to the same disease that has struck the big cats of

Birsa Munda Biological Park. The authorities failed then as they did

now to control the epidemic. The fact remains that in future, too,

how we deal with the diseases of tigers, their diagnosis, treatment

and prevention will determine the fate of these remarkable animals.

 

The state of Jharkhand is rich in biodiversity and supports a tiger

population of 34. The state has one National Park and 10 wildlife

sanctuaries. The Palamau Wildlife Sanctuary was initially created

over an area of 979.97 sq km of which 226.32 sq km has been notified

as the Betla National Park. Both the areas have been included in the

Palamau Tiger Reserve created under Project Tiger.

 

The reserve was started in 1974 with a tiger population of 22. By

1984, this had gone up to 62. In 2002, the nationwide census put the

figure at 38. The year after, the state animal husbandry department

said the count was between 36 and 40. Such varying statistics

reaffirms the belief that tigers are fast becoming extinct whether

they are kept in captivity or in natural surroundings.

 

Tigers are an invaluable component of our ecosystem which in today

world is very fragile. There is no second opinion for preserving the

tiger populations. Apart from the ethical issue of equal right of

every species and the aesthetic aspect of its beauty, there are

scientific reasons to believe in protection of tigers.

 

The tiger like any other species on this earth, constitutes an

important part of the food chain keeping the number of herbivores in

check. The extinction of tigers would not only jeopardise the food

chain but also deal a blow to bio-diversity of our planet. The

desertification of Sahara is a classic example of how man holds the

reins of destruction. Sahara, as geological facts suggest was not a

desert as it is today. It had dense forests and was the home of

tigers.

 

The Romans out of sheer greed captivated tigers and left behind a

substantially large population of herbivores or primary consumers.

The result was catastrophic. The grass and greenery was consumed in

no time and the area was reduced to a desert. The process of

destruction of the biosphere which began in the days of

environmental naivety continues unabated even today. The question is

should we let it continue?

 

Debjani Roy is a lecturer, Nirmala College, Ranchi