The national tiger census is on in the country ( India )

[Guest guest]

Link:

http://www.ndtv.com/environment/Wildlife.asp?id=93718 & callid=1

 

Sampad Mahapatra, Swati Thyagarajan

 

Sunday, September 24, 2006 (Simlipal):

 

The national tiger census is on in the country.

 

Armed with a new methodology, the final count of tiger numbers will

be revealed only by 2007 end, once all the surveys are complete.

 

The team is at present in Simlipal in Orissa, and from all available

reports, there are concerns that Simlipal could be India's next

Sariska where not a single tiger is left.

 

Hundred tigers?

 

One hundred tigers has been the official claim of tiger numbers in

Simlipal for over 10 years.

 

It is the fourth largest Project Tiger reserve in the country,

spread over 2,750 sq km in the Mayurbhanj district of Orissa.

 

But earlier this year, a national team in the park for a tiger

census found pug marks and scat evidence of less than 12 tigers and

failed to physically spot any - a fact that a desperate forest

department refutes.

 

The team is now back in the park for the second round of counting.

However, the constant rain has made it difficult for them to proceed

and the count has been postponed to November.

 

In this second round, the team is going to use camera traps to get a

better idea of tiger movement in the park.

 

It is a large park with very tough terrain and lush vegetation,

making it unusually difficult to spot the large feline.

 

No tiger spotted

 

If government claims are to be believed, then there are a hundred

tigers in the park, 80 of which are present in the 845 sq km core

area.

 

However, it seems highly improbable that not even a single tiger has

been spotted by a whole team scouring the park along with forest

guards, specifically to spot and count tigers.

 

Of the 80 tigers in the core area, even if just 20 are adult males

with their own territory, then that is one male to every 40 sq km

with females more or less within those 40 km patches in smaller

ranges.

 

Twelve rivers and streams flow into the park and there are two

magnificent waterfalls. The presence of tigers in the park has

ensured the area's protection and water security for Mayurbhanj and

three other districts.

 

Thousands of tribals live here, some of the villages even within the

core area.

 

In total, there are 4.5 lakh people in and around Simlipal who

depend on the forests and their cattle graze there.

 

Figures exaggerated

 

One of the biggest problems with reporting tiger numbers in parks

across the country is the fact that all census numbers seem fudged.

 

Sariska in early 2005 claimed that they had over 25 tigers, but the

actual number turned out to be zero.

 

Later, it was found that the actual tiger count in Ranthambore was

50 per cent less than declared official numbers and this could now

be true for Simlipal as well.

 

Officials, who serve in tiger reserves, are too nervous to talk

about dwindling tiger numbers for fear of losing their jobs.

 

Also tiger numbers are inflated as more tigers mean more money for

the park.

 

Conservationists fear that apart from false figures, poaching has

also played a big role in Simlipal.

 

However, it is not just Simlipal, which is in big trouble. Project

Tiger reserves like Palamau, Buxa, Valmiki, Indravati and Namdhapha

are also reeling under the poaching threat.

 

Added to this, Naxalite activity in some of these parks is so

rampant that forest guards fear to venture in.

 

But it's still not too late to save the tiger. What we need is more

dedication, greater political will and Project Tiger must become

more open and transparent in its functioning.