Another tiger tragedy

It is an indeed an irony that as civilisation supposedly progresses, it is the maneaters of yesteryear 8212; perhaps Jim Corbett8217;s Kumaon 8212; that are fast being replaced by the tiger killers of today. First it was Nandankanan in Orissa which notched a world record in notoriety: As the only zoo to witness the death of 12 tigers in 24 hours. Only three months have elapsed and yet the neighbouring Nehru zoological park in Hyderabad has come with a more grisly record: poachers skinned a 13-month-old tigress, Saki, bang inside the zoo, with the alleged complicity of the zoo officials. The official explanation for the Nandankanan tragedy was an outbreak of trypanosomosis, read the callousness and monumental neglect of the zoo administrators. Clearly, in Hyderabad, it was not just official ineptitude but the existence of a criminal nexus between the poaching mafia and the forest department officials. Our zoo managers have, indeed, perfected the art of creating world records in allowing one grotesque event to succeedanother.

Although a CID probe into the dastardly act of killing a baby tigress has been ordered by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, only some subordinate officials have been suspended. This is the rote token gesture, mere lip service to escape the responsibility and preempt the public outcry. This is totally unacceptable. Such a brazen act could not have been committed without the involvement and knowledge of senior forest department officials, otherwise well-known for their venality. It is they who should be suspended pending further inquiry. In fact, such acts of callousness and complicity by the forest department officials have become so common that it is high time that someone at the top, like the concerned minster, was held responsible. The Central Zoo Authority CZA was set up in 1992 to oversee the functioning of zoos all over the country. Its strict guidelines, however, have regularly been flouted by both the state governments and the municipalities who run these zoos. Truly, the CZA hasremained a paper tiger. Although it has the powers to revoke the license of any zoo in the country, it has proved ineffectual in dealing with these criminal acts of negligence and complicity.

The recent tragedies remind us that the entire zoo system stinks. While veterinarians employed have little knowledge of wildlife, those at the top, the officials of the Indian Forest Service, have absolutely no training in zoo management and most of them are there to make a fast buck. It is high time India evolved a comprehensive strategy of zoo management or scrap the entire institution. In any case, as environmentalists have asked: Are zoos the best habitat for any species, let alone the majestic wild cats? This leads to the related aspect of wildlife conservation. If zoos, existing as they do under public scrutiny, are in such bad shape, the condition of nation8217;s fauna in the wild is anybody8217;s guess. Although the Project Tiger was set up 25 years ago, the country has already lost over 1.25 lakh sq km of forest land to industries, dams and human habitations. Amidst the global concern for the declining population of tigers, the Nandankanans and the Hyderabads are, indeed, a national shame.