Tiger expert calls for infusion of fresh genes to save big cat

Singh said it was essential that India seek cooperation from the US to carry out gene-infusion in the tiger on the lines of the operation carried out to save the Florida panther from the ravages of inbreeding.

To accomplish the task, there were several options, including translocating population from other project areas, artificial insemination of receptive wild tigresses and introduction of a captive-born cub.

Describing the deaths of tigers in Orissa as “criminal and demeaning”, Singh claimed that the cause of the mortality was probably due to prolonged inbreeding of white tigers for commercial motive, contrary to the official attempt at presenting some “theory of virus to blame for the catastrophe”.

Attributing the threat to the tiger to lack of political and administrative will, he said apart from the hazards of poaching and other illegal ramifications, there was a prospect of genetic depression of the tiger which had hitherto been sponsored by the scientific dogma prohibiting mixing of the sub-species.

“Owing to fragmentation of habitat, there has been a sub-specific isolation in India, as elsewhere pockets of habitat now exist with no connecting corridors for the dissemination of genes,” he said.

Singh said when Project Tiger was launched, a basis of 300 tigers in a contiguous habitat of 2000-3000 sq. miles was worked off to ensure the big cat’s existence in perpetuity.

At that time, the figures appeared questionable, but sub-specific isolation in cases of constriction of habitat was not considered. “But now a drastic fragmentation and degradation of habitat had compelled a further evaluation,” he said.

“It is now increasingly accepted that the assumed differences and variations in the morphological appearances in sub-specific tigers are possibly clinical due to individual differences which occurred when habitat was continuous, rather than pertaining to sub-racial characteristics and that the differences in the five sub-species now extant did not justify a compartmentalisation,” he said.

Questioning the veracity of tiger census in India, which puts the population at 2500-3750, Singh said there was considerable doubt about it since the census was carried out by untrained personnel.

Moreover, two-thirds of the number of tigers were supposedly outside the 23 Project Tiger areas, which was not possible considering the habitat degradation due to the operations of the forest mafias, shortage of staff and meagre budgetary allocations.

As a number of Project Tiger areas were located on the Indo-Nepal borders, Singh called for joint administrative measures against wildlife crimes and criminals.

“They continue to operate in either countries with impunity since the administrations are separate despite the forests being contiguous,” he said.

Though there were 23 project areas in India, only a few had a viable number of tigers as the remaining, due to poaching and tribal pressures, had minimal population. Additionally, numbers were wrongly enumerated and gender figures wrongly interpreted, he observed.

Demanding conservation of the tiger to be written into the Constitution, Singh lambasted the administration for its uncaring attitude. Besides, the budgetary allocations were not only minimal but dishonestly structured. Foreign donors were unwilling to allot funds to local functionaries in India because of suspected misappropriation.

“Though the pantheon of Indian gods have Ganesh and Durga closely associated with endangered species, political and administrative will for conservation of wildlife is infinitesimal,” he said.