Vanishing Stripes: Save the Bengal Tiger

In India, though Tiger (Panthera tigris) is given the status of a National animal, wherever they come into contact with landscapes dominated by humans, they often pose a threat by preying on livestock and less commonly on people. In such situations, local antagonism against tigers often erupts into a serious problem. The incidence of human–tiger conflicts (HTCs) is therefore very alarming in India.  The years 2014-2017, there have been 345 tigers killed and 92 human causalities.  With increasing tiger population and decreasing habitat, it is believed the numbers are to rise with time.

With the gracious support of GlobalGiving, WTI helped in conflict management in a high conflict region in and around Yavatmal district. Situated in the far southernmost corner of the Central Indian landscape in Vidarbha region, Maharashtra,Yavatmal is also known as the “Cotton city” of India and is dominated by the farming community. Though the forest in this region is isolated from major protected area network in the state; it does boast to be an important wildlife habitat for tigers and their prey base. As per official records, it is slated to have regular movement of 5-10 tigers in and around this area.

The rise in tigers entering the area from adjoining protected areas, has led to a situation of conflict.  A total of 1144 human deaths were recorded due to conflict with tigers in India (till May 2017). In Yavatmal, in a span of two years, there have been many human injuries and twelve human deaths. Apart from human deaths, depredation of livestock is also widespread. Domestic animals being easy prey the number of conflict cases has risen multi-fold in this region. Traumatised local communities often in such situation were witnessed to lose their tolerance and seek to kill the animal, out of revenge.

WTI team looking at this situation planned on intervening before the situation got worse. With the support of the state forest department and local conservationists the team initiated the exercise to track the movement and territory pattern of the   problem tiger. The team assisted the FD in setting up camera trap to identify the individual, which was found to be a tigress. Based on the tracking history, it future movement were predicted and cautions were sounded of in villages. Other vital information on how to handle conflict situation were also disseminated to ensure the safety of locals as well as the tiger.  

Additionally, the field team has been coordinating with the forest department and target conflict villages to undertake regular awareness programmes. Traditionally, approaches for reducing conflict between people and wild cats have focussed on limiting interactions between people and wild cats, or mitigating the impacts of the wild cat behaviour on conflict communities. Being an agriculture-dominated landscape, local communities were given information to alter their perceptions of the risks posed by tigers, advice people on how to avoid/reduce probability of negative encounters with tigers.

This cross collaboration with communities and forest department is helping in establishing long term-holistic conflict management strategies. Since the initiation the conflict intensity has seen a marked decline. Until the time the tigress is moving in a human dominated landscape and away from the PA (Protected Areas), such measures will continue in a bid to keep the tiger and humans from harm’s way.

At Wildlife Trust of India our mission is “To conserve wildlife and its habitat and to work for the welfare of individual wild animals, in partnership with communities and governments.” Which is being practised in all the projects like this one.

WTI is thankful to all the supporters on GlobalGiving platform for their continuous support which encourages us and motivates us to follow our mission and saving individual wild animal.

India holds over half of the world’s tiger population and is considered to have the best chance for saving the wild population of this magnificent animal. Being the apex of the food chain and an umbrella species, presence of tiger is vital in regulating ecological processes and systems in a habitat. Bandipur, in the southern state of Karnataka is one of the earliest Tiger reserves in the country and holds the distinction of housing the second largest population of tigers (estimated 136) in the world. However, it doesn’t take away from the fact that tigers are under severe threat from poaching, human wildlife conflict, forest fires, expansion of linear infrastructure to name a few.

Through your support, WTI has been working in Bandipur TR to address poaching and resolving various aspects of human-wildlife conflict. In the past few months, the team (in two separate incidents) assisted the forest department in capturing and providing veterinary treatment to two injured tigers. The veterinary officer also provided treatment to four cases of livestock that had been attacked and injured by tigers in Maddur, Hediyala, N.Begur and Kundkere forest ranges. All the treated cattle have recovered from their injuries and are back in good health. A consultative meeting was also organized with the local panchayat members to ensure that no retaliatory poisoning would be done by the locals, in return for timely ex-gratia by the forest department. The team also accompanied the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) and conducted Foot & Mouth Disease vaccination programs in fringe villages of Bandipur TR to limit its breakout.