"Wilderness without wildlife is just scenery." …
Lois Crisler
Lois
E. Brown Crisler was an American writer, filmmaker, and conservationist. She
wrote books about wolves and wildlife in the Arctic, including Arctic
Wild.
Well,
I haven’t read Arctic Wild but its on my wish list for sure & reason for
using Lois’s words is some sharing about Tadoba (what else) & if you think
I have got smitten up with this place then I have no shame to admit yes, I have
got smitten up with tdaoba & not just because of the tigers but the way
wildlife is thriving there! And when I mean wildlife, its tigers along with
entire system or say life cycle of which even the humans & the vehicles
humans use are also part of it! And may be the last trip which I did to tdaoba
in the end of Summer 24, I get to spent nearly five days here & covered
most parts of Tadoba (read as once again) & lots of action happened which
not only gave me opportunity to click many wonderful images but during that I
could observe & study the entire wildlife of tdaoba a lot more closely,
which eventually made me to fall in love of this place much deeper! And this is one of
the reasons why I write so often about tdaoba as every forest with wildlife in
it is unique at its place but why we can’t study (and learn) from place like
tdaoba which can be used for conservation & making the wildlife grow at
other places as most of the wildlife habitats are under immense pressure of
survival is a fact! At the same time there was news in very recent that nearly
95,000 hector of forest land has been converted in to non-forest uses in last
four years & if that is an official figure then you can imagine what must
be actual figure, right? And this is where repeatedly places like Tadoba plays
role of a model as if here tigers (read as wild animals) & humans can stay
together in harmony (there are few conflicts but then they are in human family
too) then why cant this is possible at other places! The main reason is one,
our ignorance & two, our greed out of which for second reason I can’t do
much but it’s the first reason i.e. ignorance, I keep writing about tdaoba
apart from being smitten up! And its not necessary to make people aware to give
figures of numbers of tigers or compensation given to the victims of wild animals’
attacks or sq km of forest land or to show beautiful photographs but from the dialogues
about wildlife & discussion also we can understand the myths, plus points,
minus points as well misunderstandings about wildlife & its conservation!
Recently I posted a photo from my last tadoba trip on a FB group, dedicated to
Tigers (Tigers of India) in which I wrote about a tigress feeding on a wild
boar on the background of resorts in tdaoba, mentioning the importance of such
sights! And then what started on the group discussion itself become a wonderful
lesson (for me also) to understand about the wildlife a shade better! So, I
thought sharing the same in its best possible raw form…
The Post:
It's not shot in Zoo, this is what the Tadoba
landscape is!
A tigress freely hunting & eating het meal
in stark daylight & some hundred people can watch this scene from their verandas,
guys this may seem wow & wonderful but this is not easy when you live in
huts around the tigress & has to walk in the dark for your day-to-day
routine on these roads! At the same time, it's not easy for the tigress to also
live constantly under human eyes, yet both the tigress & the humans have
accepted this life & are happily living, this is coexistence at its best!
This success has been achieved over decades of working by forest dept as well
locals & many & that’s why tadoba truly can be called as Land of
Coexistence & not just the Land of Tigers! Tigress Collerwalli feasting,
Tadoba Summers 24. (the Image was attached)
And then started a chain of comments &
replies as below, I am keeping names as Group member 1 & 2 as to respect
privacy, hope that’s ok, though the wordings are original…
Nicely depicted. Our wildlife only seems to survive because of our cultural respect and reverence for nature else all of it might have been long gone!
Member 2
Heartwarming narrative of the coexistence of wildlife and humans which is seldom discussed in this FB group. Thanks for sharing this powerful picture of coexistence between tigers and human in Tadoba. So, my question is : why is this not replicated in other national forests where tigers live ? May be ,Tadoba showcases harmonious coexistence of tigers and humans, a phenomenon worth investigating for implementation in other Tiger reserves in India.
Member 3
Dear member2Tadoba is bursting at its seams with the number of tigers, and hence they come out of the jungle to hunt easy prey like cattle. Similar scenes are witnessed in human settlements in Pilhibit, Dudhwa, Ranthambore to an extent. This kind of a co-existence is not healthy in the long run. A tigress prone to killing domestic cattle for food, will be dangerous when she has cubs. Imagine the number of times they will raid the settlements. And that can lead to attacks on humans as well, and then there is only one outcome, and it is not a great one for the tiger
Member 2
Dear member 3
From the original post, I presumed that coexistence at Tadoba has been in place over a decade. Now you are saying it's not healthy in the long run. I am surprised by that comment. Meaning of coexistence is that humans who live close proximity to the tiger reserve are fully ( or should be) aware of the fact that they will lose some livestock. If FD is participating in this coexistence, it should be compensating the farmers for the loss of livestock ( which is done in Africa) so that they don't kill the tiger. There is enough tourist revenue available to compensate the farmers. If coexistence has been working for that long, why would be harmful now ?
Member 3
Dear member 2 Because it will make the tigers who stay on the fringe of the jungle, depend on easy prey and that will be disastrous in the long run.
Dear Member 1 & 2, thanks a lot for
appreciating & member 2 you nailed the issue of tiger's conservation! The
only way for tigers is now to accommodate humans in their life & humans
must also understand this! Indeed what member 3 says, in the process both
has to change a bit but that's what nature is about, change for survival as
what's use of dead tiger or say extinct tiger , I will always be happy with a
live tiger eating cattle
Dear Sanjay Deshpande If the tigers contract any disease while consuming either dogs or cattle, their extinction will be faster. The danger they face is real. Mange, rabies, canine distemper, and numerous others. It is not just about one or two tigers; it is about the whole population of wild animals. As recent as 2019 , 34 lions died due to canine distemper, and we could not do anything. The vulture population dwindled just because they used to feed on cattle carcasses. The only way to protect the jungles and its inhabitants is to relocate excess population to other jungles , otherwise it will only spell doom
Member 2
Dear member 3, Canine distemper affects a wide variety of mammals including but
not limited to domestic and wild dogs, coyotes, foxes, wolves, skunks etc. But
these mammals as well as tigers do develop immunity by the process of evolution
like humans and others. I don't dispute your opinion that conservation of
tigers by relocation is important. However, the relocation should be part of a
comprehensive tiger conservation plan which should include coexistence between
humans and tigers.
The 34 dead lions you mentioned is not proven yet. New research shows that dogs were not the primary reason for the death of those lions in Serengeti National reserve in Tanzania. There are unknown carrier that are contributing to their death according to National Academy of Sciences. The vaccination of dogs since the beginning of dogs in 1994 (when the first break out in lions occurred in Serengeti) has helped to minimize the spread of that disease and repopulate the lions. There are methods to prevent spread of canine viruses.
Member 3
Dear member 2, Currently, we have enough jungles across India to support at least 10000 tigers , well within their physical boundaries. But sadly, the distribution is so lop sided that some of them like Tadoba, Pilhibit, etc are literally overcrowded. A relocation plan can only help the tiger population grow and keep them healthy as well. It would also help avoid the animal-human conflict. Asiatic lions are facing challenges simply because the population has nowhere to go. I know it is an extremely challenging task, but currently we don't need humans and the tiger to co-exist . I know for sure that such a plan is being worked out, and I just hope it seems the light of day soon
Member 2
Dear member 3, Relocation project should be a part of the comprehensive tigers
conservation effort not the only method. Education of farmers living adjacent
to the tiger reserves about the benefits of tigers in the eco system and
appropriate compensation for the loss of livestock are necessary to save
the tigers population. Coexistence efforts by NGO's in Africa have tremendously
helped to increase Lions population in Tanzania and Kenya not the relocation.
If there is enough jungles left in India for another 10,000 tigers, why are we seeing so many tigers’ death due to territorial fights among them and poaching
Member 3
Dear member 2, Lop sided distribution. Simple example is Tadoba has around 100 tigers in a 1750 sq km area including buffer zone. That's a tiger every 17 sq km. Navegaon Nagzira has 11 tigers in 1900 sq km, that's a tiger every 190 sq km. There will be other factors, but if both have equal number of tigers, why would a tiger want to leave the jungle. Melghat has 57 tigers in 2500 sq km. The distribution is completely off , mainly because the corridors have been eaten away by humans. India has 72000 sq kms of designated tiger protected areas in 55 different parks. And around 3000+ tigers . Out of these , almost 15 have 1 or 0 tigers. Relocation is a huge task and a difficult process, but relocation to nearby parks like Nagzira, Tadoba, Melghat can be looked at . I hope the project sees the light of day soon .
Member 2
Dear member 3, I am aware of this unequal distribution of tigers in various
national reserves. Bandipur national reserve near Mysore, Karnataka has around
175 to 180 tigers in approximately 1000 sq. Km that equates to 1 tiger per 6
sq. km. Coexistence and education among the farmers living at close
proximity to the reserve is helping to improve the tiger population there. I
believe Bandipur reserve has reached its capacity. I hope relocation along with
education will increase the tigers population throughout India. In the early
18th century, there were 100,000 tigers in India. They were living in the
valleys around Ajanta caves before they were expelled from there.
Member 3
This is a dangerous trend !!
Kudos on the documentation, amazing pic
In the long run, it will be
detrimental to the tigress , altering her behavior, and if there is one
incidence of an attack, by this tigress or any other, irrespective of the
reason, we all know who will bear the brunt. They are already living in a fast-depleting
fragile ecosystem. If there are such constant incidents, the FD should try and
relocate these tigers to jungles which have lesser density of tigers, but
enough prey base, so that these magnificent creatures continue to be with us!
Sanjay Deshpande (closing post)
Guys thanks a lot for the healthy discussion
& I think that’s what best outcome of this image as this group should not
be only to share our great pics of tigers but for spreading awareness about the
subject, is what I feel! Thanks a lot!
Before
I conclude here is one more post about a leopard in tdaoba, please read that
also with the little patience you have preserved…
Taking solace in Concrete Jungle!
In the noon
of May, mercury soaring near 45 degrees, we find this beauty resting herself in
a pipe of ongoing work of a bridge! Tadoba always amaze me with its such
sighting as right in the heart of Kolasa range forest, she is resting in a pipe
where human movements are around & that’s shows how these wild animals
adopts themselves in the process of coexistence! One more reason may be, there
are two female tigress's movements seen around this area so this female leopard
must have found the pipe safer than open forest to rest, as it is difficult for
a tiger to enter here, lol!
… I think (rather appeal)
authorities such as our Hon PM & Supreme Court to look in this aspect of
wildlife & open-up more & more forests for common-man as then only we
will understand the wildlife & make it our part of life & that is
coexistence, which is the only hope for our wonderful wildlife, adios with this
note!
-
Sanjay Deshpande
Sanjeevani Dev.
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