Human-tiger conflict: Is Rajasthan doing enough?

By Ragini Shree, Jaipur “Tyger tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” When renowned English poet William Blake penned these lines for his poem The Tyger in the year 1794 little did he realise that the object of his fancy would come out of “the forests of the night” to stray into human habitations and start attacking human beings. But the same is happening near the tiger reserves of the country. The big cats are straying out of the core zones and entering in a conflict with humans. Shortage of space and shrinking prey base are pegged as prime reasons for this phenomenon. Often tourism activities are also held responsible for human-animal conflict. This also led to temporary ban by Supreme Court on tourism activities inside core zones of tiger reserves in October 2012. [caption id=“attachment_712866” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Who is the boss? Reuters[/caption] The similar situation is facing Rajasthan which boasts of one of the most famous tiger habitats in Ranthambhore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district and one of the most notorious ones – Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district. Sariska was bereft of all its tigers by the year 2004 due to rampant poaching. After reintroduction of tigers, the reserve now has nine tigers. Ranthambhore has witnessed eight human killings by tigers since commencement of Tiger Project after the area was declared national park in the year 1980. Scores of humans have been injured in tiger attacks and over a dozen cattle fell prey to canines of the big cats. Resultantly, people residing near the park poisoned two tiger cubs in Ranthambhore in March 2010. Similarly, the first tiger relocated to Sariska from Ranthambhore was also poisoned to death in Sariska tiger reserve in November 2010. The only fault of the ill-fated stripped beauties was that they pounced upon cattle of villagers and feasted on them. Though the forest department releases compensation for killed cattle (Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000) and humans (Rs 2 lakh) the villagers have constantly nourished animosity towards the speechless creatures. The department arrested a few people for crime against wildlife but it has not improved the situation on ground level. In fact, human interference inside the reserves is also giving rise to instances of human-animal conflict. Ten days after the Supreme Court lifted ban on tourism in tiger reserves, a male tiger mauled a 50-year-old forester Ghisa Ram to death while he was supervising repair of a jungle road at Ranthambhore on morning of 25 October 2012. Ram, who was supervising more than 20 labourers, went a little away from the labourers when a tiger, identified as T-24, attacked him from rear. The tiger is alleged to have attacked humans twice prior to this incident. However, forest ranger Daulat Singh Shaktawat had been luckier and escaped by losing his left eye and broken jaw. A tiger had attacked him when he was trying to tranquilise it at Bhoori Pahari area of Ranthambhore on August 10, 2010. “Over the years the number of tigers has marked steep rise in Ranthambhore and there is immediate need to expand the area. A corridor connecting Ranthambhore with Keoladeo sanctuary is a good option but some villages need to be relocated to clear the way,” said Dharmendra Khandal, conservation biologist with Ranthambhore-based NGO, Tiger Watch Foundation. Ranthambhore national park has total 1394 square-kms area of which above 50 percent area lies in Keoladeo sanctuary. The park has 392 square meters core area which housed 26 tigers in 2005 but the number has now increased to over 50. Compelled with the need of more space for tigers, the state government moved a proposal for developing Mukundra Hills in Kota district as tiger reserve. The Minister of Environment and Forest has released a notification in this regard clearing the way for third tiger reserve in the desert state. “This area will certainly help in easing out pressure from Ranthambhore and create an alternate space for tigers,” said Khandal. “Conflict of resources is abetting human-animal conflict. Villagers are usually intolerant, impatient and adopt terrorising methods toward wildlife. Villagers enter the forest for cattle grazing and fire wood. In many cases the forest staff is manhandled by the villagers,” feels former principal chief conservator of forest, RN Mehrotra. Mehrotra is hopeful of Mukundra Hills. “This place is best habitat for tigers after Ranthambhore and Sariska. Though a few villages inside the forest need to be removed,” he asserts. Mehrotra was principal chief wildlife warden when first tiger from Ranthambhore to Sariska was shifted in June 2008. For successful relocation of villages from the core tiger habitats, the MoEF issued fresh guidelines empowering panchayati raj Institutions to play a pivotal role in voluntary village relocation. The new system will empower gram sabhas to prepare a resolution involving consolidation, verification, area delineation on a map, and forest rights of people. The guidelines suggest constitution of sub-divisional committees (SDC) and district level committees (DLC). The resolutions prepared by gram sabhas will be forwarded to the SDC that will forward it to the district committee for final decision. A State level Monitoring Committee will look after the whole process. • Human killings and attacks by tigers • Forester Ghisa Ram killed on 25 October 2012 • Tiger strays into a village and attacks two villager on 17 July 2012 • Ashfaq Khan killed by tiger; dead body found on 9 March 2012 • Morpali Meena killed by tiger; dead body found on 27 February 2012 • Tiger attacks and injures cattle guard Roop Chand Meena 15 February 2011 • Hemraj Gurjar killed on 15 August 2010 • Ghamandi Saini killed on 3 July 2010 • Badri Kumar and his donkey killed on 22 March 2010 • Shankar Jat killed in May 2005 • A child killed in 1980