JAIPUR: In 2004, Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) fell silent to the roar of the tiger and there were no reassuring pugmarks to indicate the presence of the majestic cats.
After overcoming the rude shock, a first-of-its-kind tiger translocation programme was taken up at the behest of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and soon tigers were introduced under a recovery plan with the support of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in June 2008.
The population of tigers is growing at STR and currently, there are 28 big cats, the highest in 40 years. However, the habitat remains unsafe and the threat of poaching continues to prevail as 23 villages having a population of over 1,500 with over 10,000 livestock, mainly buffaloes and goats are still inside the reserve.
As village relocation is not the priority of the state, only 6 villages have been shifted. Experts claim that inordinate delay can hamper tiger conservation efforts at STR and the forest administration should take up relocation of villages, located in the core area of the reserve at the earliest.
Sunil Mehta, a member of the state wildlife board, said, “Relocation of villages should be accorded top priority to reduce both biotic and abiotic pressures in any forest, especially in a tiger reserve. In many situations, the villagers themselves have shown their eagerness to be shifted out. In such a case, quick decision and speedy implementation on the ground is the key.”
During a conference on ‘Midterm Review of Current Status of Sariska Tiger Reserve Post Tiger Re-introduction, Tiger Translocation & Radio Collaring Strategies in the State of Rajasthan’ that was held in March, 2022, stress was laid to relocate villages for the big cats’ survival in STR.
The minutes of the meeting read, “The WII Annual Report 2015-16 indicates that Population Viability Analysis revealed further supplementation of at least two individuals (one male and one female) every 3-5 years for next 15-20 years to rule out extinction. However, small isolated populations are vulnerable to extinction even if they have high fecundity and good prey base. Therefore, village relocation is crucial for the long-term survival of tigers in Sariska.
Possibilities of villagers involved in tiger trade can also be not ruled out. A forest staff source said, “In 2018, a tigress was reported missing from the Akbarpur range of (STR) and a poacher, who was arrested by the police, had admitted to shooting the tigress, ST-5, and selling her skin. Similarly, a four-year-old male tiger, ST-11, also died during that time after getting entangled in a barbed wire fence laid by the poachers. Recently ST-13 was in the same area and poaching cannot be ruled out.”
Sariska Tiger Foundation founding member and wildlife lover Dinesh Durrani said due to high anthropogenic pressure many females at STR did not give birth to the cubs. “Ten tigers have been relocated from RNP till date. Out of these, five were females and four never delivered a cub at Sariska. Relocated tigress ST-3 died at age of 14 without giving birth to cubs and ST-5 was poached in 2018. The tigresses named ST-7 and ST-8 are on the same path as they are now over 10 years old and have not yet delivered.”
After overcoming the rude shock, a first-of-its-kind tiger translocation programme was taken up at the behest of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and soon tigers were introduced under a recovery plan with the support of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in June 2008.
The population of tigers is growing at STR and currently, there are 28 big cats, the highest in 40 years. However, the habitat remains unsafe and the threat of poaching continues to prevail as 23 villages having a population of over 1,500 with over 10,000 livestock, mainly buffaloes and goats are still inside the reserve.
As village relocation is not the priority of the state, only 6 villages have been shifted. Experts claim that inordinate delay can hamper tiger conservation efforts at STR and the forest administration should take up relocation of villages, located in the core area of the reserve at the earliest.
Sunil Mehta, a member of the state wildlife board, said, “Relocation of villages should be accorded top priority to reduce both biotic and abiotic pressures in any forest, especially in a tiger reserve. In many situations, the villagers themselves have shown their eagerness to be shifted out. In such a case, quick decision and speedy implementation on the ground is the key.”
During a conference on ‘Midterm Review of Current Status of Sariska Tiger Reserve Post Tiger Re-introduction, Tiger Translocation & Radio Collaring Strategies in the State of Rajasthan’ that was held in March, 2022, stress was laid to relocate villages for the big cats’ survival in STR.
The minutes of the meeting read, “The WII Annual Report 2015-16 indicates that Population Viability Analysis revealed further supplementation of at least two individuals (one male and one female) every 3-5 years for next 15-20 years to rule out extinction. However, small isolated populations are vulnerable to extinction even if they have high fecundity and good prey base. Therefore, village relocation is crucial for the long-term survival of tigers in Sariska.
Possibilities of villagers involved in tiger trade can also be not ruled out. A forest staff source said, “In 2018, a tigress was reported missing from the Akbarpur range of (STR) and a poacher, who was arrested by the police, had admitted to shooting the tigress, ST-5, and selling her skin. Similarly, a four-year-old male tiger, ST-11, also died during that time after getting entangled in a barbed wire fence laid by the poachers. Recently ST-13 was in the same area and poaching cannot be ruled out.”
Sariska Tiger Foundation founding member and wildlife lover Dinesh Durrani said due to high anthropogenic pressure many females at STR did not give birth to the cubs. “Ten tigers have been relocated from RNP till date. Out of these, five were females and four never delivered a cub at Sariska. Relocated tigress ST-3 died at age of 14 without giving birth to cubs and ST-5 was poached in 2018. The tigresses named ST-7 and ST-8 are on the same path as they are now over 10 years old and have not yet delivered.”
