--
Ashlan Gorse Cousteau is an American entertainment journalist. She is
known for her work with E! News, Discovery Channel, and Travel Channel. She
along with her husband Philippe Cousteau have produced and appeared together in
several educational and environmental television programs. Indeed, Ms Ashlan
because of her work must have travelled a lot in the forests & her
observation about tigers watching you is to the perfection as I myself also
have experienced that feeling, that’s what a tiger’s presence can make the
difference in any forest making that animal very very special in the chain of
wildlife! That's why when the subject of sharing is Global Tiger Day, I
used her words to start, though this day often called as International Tiger
Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation, held
annually on 29 July. Indeed, the presence of the tiger is hardly in ten
countries across the Globe just like the game of cricket yet it is the talk of
the world (again just like the cricket) when it comes to wildlife, is a fact!
This day was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia,
where for the first time all the countries with the habitats of tigers meet up
for its conservation. Since then, the day is celebrated or said being followed
is the right term for tiger conservation.
Many people, even activists, will say when we have Earth Day,
Environment Day, Forest Day, Wildlife Day & many such, then why we need
Global Tiger Day & I won’t blame them as it's this unawareness about
wildlife as whole which has arisen the need of celebrating the Tiger Day! It’s because a tiger though is just one of the links in the nature cycle
but is an important link, just the way a Captain of a Cricket team is one of
the eleven members yet it's special as he holds the team together, the same way
a tiger’s presence keeps balance in the jungle! A tiger in any forest means the forest has to be complete with all
sorts of flora & fauna which includes various trees, creepers, grass,
bamboo & many such which are essential for every sort of animals &
birds & then a tiger needs water bodies also, so the avion life also has to
be there. And when there is a tiger in any forest then on one side if the tiger itself has threat
from human poachers but on the other side many humans keep distance from other
elements of that forest such as illegal wood cutting or hunting of smaller
animals in that forest, so in a way the tiger is protector of that forest also,
this is why when a tiger is saved, we are actually saving a life cycle &
Global Tiger Day is in a way tribute to the tiger for its role in the forests!
And when one young journalist Mansi called me for my quote on Tiger Day
with the questioner below, I was more than happy to share my views about the
same. And to my surprise she has extensively covered many aspects in her
questions which in a way are thought churning for me, so I decided to use the
same for my sharing, here we go…
Hi, please find below the
questions for World Tiger Day.
1. What is the present condition of the species
in Maharashtra/India… I take it species means Tiger, so the best (or
say good news) is India is the only country where Tiger population is actually
increasing, while all around the world its reverse case. And we should
congratulate our Govt (Central &
State) as well every person, organization which is part of the system we call
forest conservation. At the same time, let's not forget that every year nearly
some 150 plus tigers die also due to mainly human intervention & that’s
something we need to control, is the scene about the species at present.
2. What has the
government done to protect tigers?... Right from creating Project
Tiger i.e. reserved protected forest dedicated to tiger conservation, which
started way back in 1974, the govt has done many things for tigers. The National
Tiger Conservation Authority was established in December 2005, following a
recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, constituted by the Prime Minister of
India for reorganised management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves
in India. And then the State govt also has formed many sanctuaries as well
reserved forest so the tigers can be protected from humans. Though the working
of NTCA cant be considered as right every time yet it’s a dedicated effort for
tiger conservation for sure.
3. In which areas are
tigers thriving?... Considering our Maharashtra State, it's mainly in
eastern part of the State which is called as Vidarbha. Tadoba, Pench, Melghat
project tigers in these parts as well UKWS, Bor, Dnyanganaga, Tipeshwar are
many sanctuaries where tigers have made their habitat & growing in
population. The main reason is less urbanization in this part of the State
which enables the tiger to have its place yet the prey base remains an issue
making the tiger kill cattle or domestic animals thus creating man animal
conflict. In other parts of the State, we have just one project Tiger i.e.,
Sahyadri, Project Tiger located in Kolhapur district.
4. Which forests take better
care of tigers?... Obviously, the Project Tigers are best forests for
taking care of the tigers as one must understand there is a difference between
a zoo & a forest. In any forest the tiger lives on its own terms
& it doesn’t understand boundaries created by humans but humans have to
follow those boundaries, right? This is not easy to control
especially with less infrastructure forest dept which has to deal with major
challenges like fighting with other depts as well human population living
around the tigers. And they also can’t be blamed as living with a tiger roaming
around isn’t an easy job for any human being!
5. According to you, what's
the future?... Future of tiger you meant; at the present, it depends on what
course humans decide for themselves is what will decide the future of the
tiger. If this reply seems straight from Star Wars or Harry Potter philosophy,
then I can’t help it because one, I love these both stories most & second,
that is the truth! Because tigers or any other species can’t think on
their own for their future & even if they can think they are too weak or no
match for their prime enemy which indirectly or directly is humans! So, unless we humans start
thinking about the future of the tigers, it's difficult to say if it will be
good or bad. At present it seems difficult because it's not just about the
population because like any species can reproduce given suitable conditions
(like the humans), the problem is about the space for the new population (again
same as humans) which is the outcome of the reproduction! On one side we are
unable to provide proper shelter, food to humans itself because we are unable
to control our population, how the new population of the tigers will get their
space to grow? Our answers (read as actions) to this question will decide the
future of the tigers!
6. Do
you think days like these are helpful? …
Well, days like this are definitely not going to harm for sure, right? About
being helpful then we must use days like Tiger Day to reach out to more &
more people who don’t know what tiger needs to live rather than just posting
images of tigers taken by hi-tech cameras that too by only those who can afford
to go to forests with tigers & click! First & foremost thing is making wildlife
tourism (with tigers) affordable to all & open all areas as everybody has a
right on the tiger i.e., to see that majestic beauty as then only everybody can
join the moment to make the future of the tiger better!
7. What
was the driving force that led you to lend a helping hand to protect tigers?... I am from a region where the tiger population
is most i.e., from Vidarbha & by my academics of environment I get to know
a bit about habitats & forests as well balancing of nature. And then I
build homes for humans because I am a civil engg (and a builder too), so who
will build or say create spaces for tigers along with its chain of life, is the
question I ask myself, that’s the driving force for me to do my bit for the tiger! And
then if not me, then who?
To conclude all I will say is, thanks Mansi, as
your questioner gave me a chance to share my views on tigers elaborately &
let me tell you, every one of us lives for survival but high time we must
understand the meaning of living & as well survival. It’s the responsibility of the survival to see that
others also survive especially those who are weaker as survival of the fittest
doesn’t mean only the fit will survive but it means, the fittest will help
entire life cycle to survive, this understanding is what differentiate the
humans from all other animals & this is why only the humans can practice or
follow Tiger Day & not vice versa, so be it!
--
Sanjay Deshpande
smd156812@gmail.com
Sanjeevani Dev.
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https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2021/09/choosing-right-home.html
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