Defend tigers, not their numbers

Take the alarm expressed by activists over Melghat in the right spirit

The spirited defence of the official claim that there are about 70 tigers in Melghat by an expert like Vishwas Sawarkar does not surprise 8216;Big cats and the numbers game8217;, IE, March 10. But irrespective of one8217;s position on the controversy, it should be everybody8217;s concern that no tiger reserve in the country ends up suffering the same fate as Sariska. So, what should we do? Do we remain secure in the belief that the tiger tally in Melghat is indeed 70, or should we make some serious efforts to confirm the figures, given the serious doubts raised by 8220;so-called8221; activists? Ideally, the second course should be the response 8212; not only of wildlife officials, but everyone committed to the cause of tiger conservation.

Coming to the debate over the tiger tally of 70 in Melghat, Sawarkar has cited the results of a camera-trap and mark recapture survey in Melghat. According to it, the tiger density in Melghat is 6.7/100 sq km, which translates into 110 tigers. If that is the case, then why are the officials complaining about factors like deficient manpower, an aging frontline staff and a lack of resources negatively affecting conservation efforts?

As far as the camera-trap study is concerned, let us not forget that it has been done in the 8216;best8217; area of the tiger reserve 8212; the 361 sq km Gugamal National Park 8212; and not in the reserve as a whole. We cannot lose sight of the fact that the other areas of the reserve, like the 788 sq km Melghat sanctuary and the 526 sq km Multiple Use Area, are not as good a habitat as Gugamal. So can we really extrapolate from the findings of the best area and project them for the whole sanctuary?

Let us also consider the fact that the camera-trap study team had individually identified only 15 tigers in the core area Gugamal during four months of 2002 the period of the survey. As per the estimated density of 6.7 tigers per 100 sq km there, the total number of tigers in Gugamal works out to 24. Unlike the pug-mark and waterhole technique, camera-trapping involves least human disturbance and, as such, the 8216;shyness8217; of tigers shouldn8217;t come into play. Yet, only 15 of the 24 8216;estimated8217; tigers could be identified in those four months of summer when tigers move in search of water and prey. This debate highlights the need for transparency in the census exercise.

This is not to take up the cudgels on the behalf of activists 8212; but if they were ill-intentioned, then why are they praising the conservation efforts at Tadoba? This is because, unlike in Melghat, there is significant indirect evidence of a thriving tiger presence in Tadoba. So what is important is to try and understand the spirit behind the alarm expressed over Melghat and not get engaged in the numbers debate. Let us also not forget that it was the activists who had blown the whistle on Sariska.