Tracking the tiger

Last month I organised a visit for two elderly couples to the Eravikulam National Park near Munnar and was elated to learn that one of the l...

Last month I organised a visit for two elderly couples to the Eravikulam National Park near Munnar and was elated to learn that one of the ladies chanced upon a tiger early in the morning. For nothing gladdens a wildlife enthusiast more than reports of sightings of endangered species 8212; rare though these are nowadays.

This reminded me of the first tiger ever to be photographed in the Park. The picture was taken by the American zoologist Cliff Rice in 1980 while studying the ecology of the endangered Nilgiri tahr. The feline seemed quite unconcerned about Rice8217;s nearness 8212; though I am not sure he felt the same way! It nonchalantly sashayed across the grassland like an overconfident model on the catwalk. Rice8217;s colour photo still hangs in the forest lodge in the heart of the park where he cloistered himself for two years.

However, as many locals will tell you, the funny thing is that if you go searching for wildlife in Munnar with a camera, you will seldom find any. It8217;s an enigma. I have found that wildlife sightings are mostly chance occurrences that take place when you are least prepared 8212; and not carrying a camera.

Last week a local planter, the head of our wildlife preservation association, came across a tiger on the main road leading out of Munnar. For almost five minutes the big cat placidly padded along ahead of his jeep, unfazed by its headlights, before melting into a tea field. Dumbfounded, all he could do was stare 8212; and bitterly rue the lack of a camera to capture that rare, once-in-a-lifetime sight.

Of late, there have been other tiger sightings too. One is reported to have been seen just outside the town the other day 8212; quite incredible to say the least in view of the heavy influx of tourists and the consequent commotion created by their countless vehicles. Further, one evening last month a male was found sauntering across the main road to Coimbatore 8212; in full view of a bus-load of astonished commuters. And recently a group of trekkers reported fresh tiger pug-marks and droppings while taking shelter in a strip of jungle during a thunderstorm. Unknown to them, the big cat was probably doing the same!

Then the other day my wife and I were strolling through a tea field near our home, armed with nothing more lethal than a cane. A jeep pulled up and the driver stared at us aghast. 8220;Stay away from this area!8221; he warned, 8220;I saw a tiger sunning itself on that boulder over there only yesterday 8212; and it8217;s still around!8221; Elated, I thanked him for this vital bit of information. 8220;I do hope that tiger will give me too a glimpse of it!8221; I added wistfully as we continued on our walk. He drove off convinced that I was crazy.

Yes, ardent nature-lovers always dream of seeing a tiger in the wild 8212; it8217;s perhaps the ultimate experience in wildlife sightings. But few get to do so thanks to the tiger8217;s elusiveness. Moreover, there are hardly any left. Indiscriminate hunting and poaching, coupled with habitat destruction, have decimated the tiger population over the years. Today official statistics put the number of tigers in the Eravikulam National Park at a pitiful four 8212; a figure that has remained inexplicably static over the past five years despite an annual wildlife census. Breeding is reported to have taken place but is yet to be officially confirmed.

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It is in this context that the recent tiger sightings in Munnar are significant. The hill-resort has an enviable track-record in wildlife conservation dating back to the 1920s. Specifically, it has brought the highly endangered Nilgiri tahr back from the brink. Given the unflagging commitment of the local tea planters and Forest Department officials 8212; who work together quite effectively 8212; one can confidently bank on Munnar to save 8220;Old Stripes8221; in this sylvan part of Kerala 8212; one of the tiger8217;s last strongholds.