Project Tiger: conservation of Tigers

Project Tiger, launched in 1973-74, is one of our most successful conservation ventures in the recent times.The project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted 'tiger reserves', which are representative of various bio-geographical regions falling within our country. It strives to maintain a viable tiger population in the natural environment.

An estimate of the tiger population in India, at the turn of the century, placed the figure at 40,000. Subsequently, the first ever all India tiger census was conducted in 1972 which revealed the existence of only 1827 tigers. Various pressures in the later part of the last century led to the progressive decline of wilderness, resulting in the disturbance of viable tiger habitats. At the IUCN General Assembly meeting in Delhi, in 1969, serious concern was voiced about the threat to several species of wildlife and the shrinkage of wilderness in the country. In 1970, a national ban on tiger hunting was imposed and in 1972 the Wildlife Protection Act came into force. A 'Task Force' was then set up to formulate a project for tiger conservation with an ecological approach.

The project was launched in 1973, and various tiger reserves were created in the country on a 'core-buffer' strategy. The core areas were freed from all sorts of human activities and the buffer areas were subjected to 'conservation oriented land use'.Initially, 9 tiger reserves were established in different States during the period 1973-74, by pooling the resources available with the central and State Governments. These nine reserves covered an area of about 13,017sq.km-viz Manas (Assam), Palamau (Bihar), Similipal (Orissa), Corbett (Uttarakhand.), Kanha (M.P.), Melghat (Maharashtra), Bandipur (Karnataka), Ranthambhore (Rajasthan) and Sunderbans (West Bengal).

The W.W.F. has given an assistance of US $ 1 million in the form of equipments, expertise and literature. The various States are also bearing the loss on account of giving up the forestry operations in the reserves.

The main achievements of this project are excellent recovery of the habitat and consequent increase in the tiger population in the reserve areas, from a mere 268 in 9 reserves in 1972 to 1576 in 27 reserves in 2003. Tiger, being at the apex of the food chain, can be considered as the indicator of the stability of the eco-system. For a viable tiger population, a habitat should possess a good prey base, which in turn will depend on an undisturbed forest vegetation. Thus, 'Project Tiger', is basically the conservation of the entire eco-system and apart from tigers, all other wild animals also have increased in number in the project areas. In the subsequent 'Five Year Plans', the main thrust was to enlarge the core and buffer zones in certain reserves, intensification of protection and ecodevelopment in the buffer zones of existing tiger reserves, creation of additional tiger reserves and strengthening of the research activities.

The management strategy was to identify the limiting factors and to mitigate them by suitable management. The damages done to the habitat were to be rectified, so as to facilitate the recovery of eco-system to the maximum possible extent. Management practices which tend to push the wildlife populations beyond the carrying capacity of the habitat were carefully avoided. A minimum core of 300 sq. km. with a sizeable buffer was recommended for each project area. The overall administration of the project is monitored by a 'Steering Committee'. The execution of the project is done by the respective State Governments. A 'Field Director' is appointed for each reserve, who is assisted by the field and technical personnel. The Chief Wildlife warden in various States are responsible for the field execution. Fire protection is effectively done by suitable preventive and control measure Voluntory Village relocation has been done in many reserves, especially from the core, area. In Kanha, Bandipur and Ranthambhore, all the villages have been shifted from the core, and after relocation, the villagers have been provided with alternate agricultural lands and other community benefits. This has resulted in the improvement of the carrying capacity of the habitat. Live stock grazing has been controlled to a great extent in the tiger reserves.

Growing Up Tiger cubs are playful and their games together games together begin to teach them the skills necessary for survival.They stalk and pounce on leaves, insects, or even their mother's tail.

At first, the cubs must hide in the undergrowth while the tigress hunts, but later they are allowed to watch and eventually join in. the young cash help the tigress by driving the chosen victim towards her. Learning to hunt is a difficult and dangerous process and many cubs are gored of trampled to death. Inexperienced cubs tend to grab the legs of the prey, leaving them vulnerable to retaliation. Sometimes the tigress will intervene. She can bring down the prey and then leave it for the cubs to kill. It takes many attempts before he cubs learn to kill efficiently by biting the throat or the nape of the neck.

A mother tiger may allow her cubs to feed first . If she joins her young at a meal, she will withdraw if a cub protests and will go without meat to ensure that they have enough. The cubs have voracious appetites and by the time they are 14 months old , it is a strain for the tigress to capture enough prey. The runt is the last in queue at meals and if food is in scarce supply, it will starve to death.

Their lessons learned , young tigers must venture out in search of a territory. Male tigers leave their mothers at about 18-22 months old. Sub-adult males are often tolerated by other males, but this will change on reaching maturity. Each young male must then look for a vacant territory, or one where there is a chance of ousting an old or sick male. Females remain with their mothers for 24 to 28 months and will help in the capture of prey until they leave. When the tigress is ready to mate again, she might become aggressive towards her daughters. One daughter may be allowed to settle inside the mother's territory, but the rest must find space in the territories of neighboring males. Newly independent tigers lack haunting experience and a second's hesitation may leave them to go hungry.

The young tigers will become sexually mature at three to four years old and by this time are ready to found the next generation of cubs.

Habitat Tigers inhabit many types of forests, from the mangrove swamps of Bangladesh to the coniferous forests of the Russian Far East. Dense vegetation, plenty of pre and minimum human interference are all requirements of good tiger habitat, as are pools for drinking and bathing. Tigers of the warmer climes love water and may even sleep with part of their body submerged. They are adept swimmers. Young tigers are agile enough to climb into trees but adults are generally too heavy. However, an angry tiger in Siberia was reported to have limbed into a tree in an attempt to swat the helicopter that was following it.

Predation Tigers can kill prey that exceeds their own weight. A tiger can eat over 30 kgs (66lvbs ) of meat in a single night, though a large kill ma be needed only once or twice a week. In the meantime, snacks such a peacocks, crabs turtles, fish, lizards, small birds or even locusts will suffice. Tigers are not exclusively carnivorous and will sometimes eat jungle fruits. Their stomachs often contain earth, and his is probably ingested to aid digestion.

In India, hog deer, chital (spotted deer), barking deer, sambar, nilgai and wild boar are the favorite prey, though tigers will also kill jungle ox and even young elephants and rhino of up to 450 kgs (1000 lbs ) in weight. Tigers will seek to porcupines, even though these prickly creatures have a nasty habit of backing into a pursuer in order to drive in their spines. Injuries form porcupines may fester and can even cause the death of a tiger.

Tigers tend to hunt between dusk and dawn. They are less active during the day and may lie satiated in the shade or in a pool near the remains of a kill. Tigers often cover an unfinished meal with soil and leaves and return to it later. Even so, scavengers are quick to take advantage, though they risk annoying the owner of the kill. A tiger was photographed pouncing on a vulture in sheer exasperation and an irritable tiger will even chase away crows.

Sight and sound, rather than scent, are used to locate prey. Tigers are too large and too heavy to run for long distances and therefore must patiently stalk their prey until they are close enough to make a final lunge for the neck. Effective camouflage is essential and in patches of sunshine and shade a motionless tiger is practically invisible. Despite being one of the most feared of the world's predators, tigers are often unsuccessful in catching their prey. Prey species have acute hearing and many run faster than a tiger. Some have alarm calls that warn all the animals in the vicinity to be wary. If the tiger fails in a hunting attempt it must move to another area or wait until the forest becomes calm again.With the number of herbivores under control, but not depleted, the forest vegetation is likely to thrive provided humans do not over exploit it. Seeds will be dispersed by new growth will not be prevented by excessive grazing pressure. Healthy vegetation protects the rainwater and safeguards the water table. Many forest are important catchments areas for rivers, upon which many species, including human beings, depend.

Species at the top of the food chain are generally larger and require more space than other animals, particularly if they are territorial . Conserving such species in the wild protects the habitat of many other animals, as well as safeguarding the essential ecological processes such as water and nutrient cycling. Thus the tiger is the guardian of many other creatures. In general, wild animals are shy and elusive. Many times visitors to a national Park are disappointed on not spotting any wild animals especially big game like the tiger and leopard.

Tracks or pugmarks provide important clues. Not only do they tell us of the presence of wild animals but they can also indicate the size, sex, and sometimes even the age of an animal.

The marks of animal feet on the roads of the Park reveal their presence and the freshness of the tiger's pugmark reveals its whereabouts.

Tracks on the road can also reveal the presence of cubs with a tigress.

Looks on the road can also trees where tigers leave territorial signals that demarcate their home range.

These trees are also marked by their scent.

THREATS TO TIGERS

If we want to save wild tigers, we will have to improve and expand on-the-ground conservation efforts that directly reduce threats to tigers and increase tiger and prey populations and improve their habitat. However, without controls on the demand for tiger parts, inordinate pressures are being placed on wild tigers. Even tiger reserves are not safe. That is sadly illustrated by the case of Sariska Tiger Reserve in India where, in 2005, poachers completely wiped out wild tigers. Thus our tiger conservation strategy must both improve and strengthen on-the-ground conservation and reduce the traffi cking of tiger parts. We are tackling the approach using a two-pronged strategy: the fi rst is to strengthen landscape-level conservation and the second is to stop the illegal trade in tiger parts.At the beginning of the last century it is estimated that there were 100,000 wild tigers, today the number is about 2,000.Simply put, tigers are disappearing in the wild.

Poised at the top of an intricate ecosystem, the endangered tiger is an indicator of ecosystems in crisis. Conservationists must create bottom-up support for tiger conservation and enlist key social, governmental, and corporate support for the tiger’s survival in the wild. Save The Tiger Fund views the maintenance of viable tiger populations as an essential component of sustainable ecosystem management and is working to reduce poaching, connect fragmented landscapes, prevent existing habitats from being fragmented by human activities.

Despite a decade of conservation investment, our knowledge of the tiger’s ecological needs and the strategies and tools needed to meet them remains inadequate. There is also a critical shortage of trained conservation practitioners, organizations, alliances and networks that recognize the tiger’s ecological needs and know how to link the tiger’s survival with the welfare of people. A divergence of opinion and lack of collective knowledge on the current distribution and population trends of tigers further restricts our ability to identify and respond to impending crises.

Communications needs to be part of the ongoing efforts to increase international visibility on tiger conservation and to develop and sustain key partnerships and constituents that support work to save the tiger from extinction. Attitudes towards tigers are slowly changing from from one of disdain to respect in many tiger landscapes. Politicians need to wholeheartedly support initiatives that help to preserve tigers which are an important ingredient in the ecological and cultural fabric of Asia, and businesses need to come together and provide financial assistance to support ongoing conservation efforts.

WHY SAVE TIGERS?

Human welfare and economic development in Asia depends on the same clean water, clean air, natural flood controls and other forest resources that tigers need. Because tigers are poised at the top of the food chain, if we can maintain healthy tiger populations in Asia’s wild lands, we can ensure that there are healthy habitats and prey populations present to support them. Tigers need extensive, intact landscapes and act as an umbrella species — by saving tigers you save other plants and animals that share their range. Tigers are also majestic symbols for many ancient and modern cultures. Tiger images emblazon temples throughout Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Thailand and Tibet; every twelfth year of the Chinese calendar is dedicated to the tiger; and India’s national animal is also the namesake of Bangladesh’s national cricket team, The Bengal Tigers Given the tremendous historical and cultural significance of these animals, it is tragically ironic that Asia’s “tiger economies” are now prospering at the expense of wild tigers.

The highest tiger densities in the world are found in Indian parks and reserves like Pench, Ranthambhore, Nagarahole, Kaziranga and Kanha all of which have more than 10 tigers per 100km2. Some of the tigers in these places are habituated to the presence of people, making them easier for people to see from vehicles or elephant-back.

Tourism revenues also provide an important economic justification for tiger conservation. This industry, if managed responsibly, has the potential to cultivate an attitude of stewardship among hotel owners and tourists, and to inject vital revenue into poor local communities living alongside the park. However, some tour operators have developed reputations for getting their clients to see tigers at all costs, even if it means degrading the very parks that support the tigers. This causes tensions between park staff, tour operators and can literally reduce what should be a once in a life-time experience into a circus act.

One way for tourists to engage in tiger conservation is to take photos of wild tigers on their vacation, and to share the images with tiger researchers through our website. This will help us to keep a track of which reserves still have tigers, and because of their unique stripe-patterns, we could even count tigers in a reserve based on photos that you submit.