The plight of the tiger is well-documented: Its slipping fortune from a healthy 40,000-odd at the turn of the century to an alarming 1,400 currently; the loss of over 80 per cent of its habitat since then, and the relentless slaughter first for pleasure and trophy; now for rugs and robes and an apparent cure for impotency.
But, haven’t we worked to save the tiger? Made it the national animal, created a special conservation initiative, the biggest of its kind i.e Project Tiger in 1973 with no less than 38 tiger reserves , don’t we have the most stringent protectionist laws, didn’t our Prime Minister set up a Tiger Task Force to tackle the Tiger Crisis in 2005?
Yes, but we have fewer tigers than what we started with in 1973; two reserves, Sariska and Panna have been emptied, all their tigers killed for the market. In 15 others extinction beckons. The laws are ineffective, unless implemented. For all the stringent punishment that the Wildlife Protection Act dictates, we have barely managed to convict one per cent of poachers.
And, the Task Force notwithstanding, the Tiger Crisis is far from over—it just got worse.
Welcome to 2010. Twenty days into the year, and we lost six tigers—four of which are probably poaching cases. One of these was killed-by posinned arrows and country guns, tied to a bamboo stake-the meat cooked and eaten-and the skin sold for a neat profit.
Welcome to 2010, the International Year of the Tiger.
It wasn’t any better last year. In 2009, we lost a tiger almost every fourth day—85 tigers in 365 days. These are only the recorded instances—minus all those skins that sneaked out across the border, and beyond—largely to China which writes its own laws on consumption of tiger derivatives even as it signs on international treaties dictating otherwise. We have not taken into account generations lost when tigresses are killed, leaving behind cubs—who either starve to death or are condemned to captivity. In and around Tadoba in Maharashtra we lost five breeding tigresses in an year.
It’s an emergency, says the honourable Minister of State (Environment and Forests,) Jairam Ramesh. Good, that we are finally acknowledging that tiger numbers are falling, but what have we done? Reserves continue to be manned by a skeletal staff-who are overaged, underequipped, underpaid—if paid at all. The centre has sent strict guidelines to the states regarding protection. But the states are simply not interested, funds are delayed, apathetic officers still man reserves. For all its good intent, Project Tiger, forgive the pun, remains a Paper Tiger.
Little wonder then that the last bastions of the tiger are falling—in Kanha, the ‘crown jewel’, tiger numbers have crashed alarmingly, Kaziranga-a success story, lost 15 per cent of its tigers in the space of an year (Novemebr 2008-Dec-2009), and Corbett-where Project Tiger was born- four tigers have died have died in a month days in the cusp of this year.
To be fair, the minister said a firm no to mines bordering Tadoba and an observatory near Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu, but these are few victories in many such battles. Unless the government takes a firm stand that protected areas are simply no-go areas for highways,mines, dams, power projects—we are going to lose the tiger.
Unless we have a force, on the lines of our army, protecting the tiger, now—each reserve will soon be a Sariska, or a Panna.
And our national animal, extinct.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
a tribute to Billy...
this is an edited version of the Article that appeared in Tehelka this week...(will post the detailed one later)... it is so difficult to convey what Billy was, what he meant to wildlife--i knew him very briefly, but like to think--knew him well-i do not really need to say he was one of a kind...so passionate, and obsinate about his cause-he lived his cause..
i feel his loss personally--and deeply regret--that i could not go meet him in his last days--
PRERNA SINGH BINDRA looks back on the life of a committed conservationist whose legacy in wildlife preservation continues to inspire
BILLY ARJAN SINGH
1917 - 2010
‘HONORARY TIGER’ Padma Bhushan Billy Arjan Singh breathed his last on the first day of the Year of the Tiger’ – January 1, 2010. He will be remembered as a pioneer conservationist, and for his long and courageous battle for India’s wildlife. My abiding memory of Billy dates back to five winters ago. I was at Tiger Haven, his home at the edge of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, chatting over supper when he asked me “to please fulfil his one wish”. Of course. He carefully inserted a cassette into his battered music system. Soon, the speakers cackled with a sound alien to the drawing room but from the heart of the jungle – Hon-hon, Hon, haawwn, the barasingha’s bugle resounded within the confines of the room. He looked at me then, his eyes beseeching. “Can you please make me a horn with this sound? Do you know the barasingha is Uttar Pradesh’s state animal? Isn’t it befitting then that my jeep should echo with its rutting call?” I picture Billy, then, and now, bumping along country roads, scaring the daylights of unsuspecting commuters with the jeep’s rutting call... Billy, Billy, Billy.
Billy hailed from the royal family of Kapurthala and was a bit of a misfit in the early years of his life (“I had no ‘prospects’, maybe that’s why when I proposed to Chandralekha, daughter of Vijayalakshmi Pandit, she didn’t agree”). Just out of the army, and jobless at 28, Billy landed at Palia in eastern UP and bought Tiger Haven, “since there was land available for farming and game for shooting”. That was Billy then, ruthless hunter, who put down his gun later in a moment of epiphany when he downed a young leopard “and watched the fire fading from the eyes of the dying animal. I was overcome with remorse, I had no right to destroy what I could not create, to kill for personal pleasure.”
From hunter and farmer to the doyen of tiger conservation. How does one encapsulate in limited wordage the remarkable life of Billy? He campaigned incessantly for putting a ban on game hunting in India, ensuring the closure of many shikar outfits; used shikar elephants to drive the barasingha, a critically endangered species into the forest from fields where they were gunned down. He swooped down, and spared no poacher or wood smuggler unlucky enough to cross his path. He raised three leopards and released them into the wild: ‘Prince’, so named since the leopard is “the Prince of Cats”, as well as Juliette and Harriet – presented to him by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Billy was best known for bringing up the zoo-bred Tara and releasing her in the wild. Tara was accused of being a man-eater, and reportedly killed as one – a claim that Billy always denied. “Not Tara,” he roared, “It was a foolish claim not backed by evidence, but by the prejudice of a hostile administration.” Tigers, he stressed, took to man-eating not by choice but when compelled by injuries or loss of territory and prey.
Billy observed, studied, wrote, struggled, battled, fought, lobbied, petitioned for the one cause around which he built his life. His passion and love for the wilds was a unique phenomenon, evident not just in his bigger, bitter battles, but in just about everything he did. If he was the man who created Dudhwa, he was also the man who left his mother calmly knitting in her enclosure, appropriately called ‘Gran’s Cage’, so that his leopard could roam free! In Billy’s world wild animals always took precedence over Homo sapiens.
In his later years, Billy felt despondent. “The tiger,” he despaired, “has no future. There is just no will to save it. The government will not make what it perceives as ‘unpopular decisions’ because of vote politics and instead propounds nonsensical theories of co-existence (of tigers and people).” He doggedly campaigned for a separate wildlife service — specialisation was needed in wildlife management much like one “requires experts for different branches for medicine. It’s as critical.” He lobbied for buffer zones around reserves to avoid conflict.It's a crusade Billy had been fighting almost forever — from fiery letters to Indira Gandhi “who understood and responded” to current petitions, painstakingly pecked out, with one finger, on his ancient, trusty typewriter. There was so much to be done to save Dudhwa — desilt the Soheli- Neora rivers, deal with the issue of the railway line that cuts through the reserve, regularly killing elephants and tigers. There was so much to be done for India’s wilds — halt the fragmentation of forests, the destruction, have a dedicated wildlife service. “We must save the tiger,” he urged. “It is to the tiger that we owe the air we breathe, the water we drink... if it goes, we go.”
Billy fought till the end. I remember the last time I met Billy... just over a year ago. At 93, his health was failing, a recent operation had rendered him weak, and he was not a little grumpy. “Let’s go the jungle, Billy, I pleaded, my heart sinking at his ‘no’. “I am too ill,” he said, and fussily presided over the arrangements, a prefect, gracious host.
But Billy was seated in the vehicle far before his entourage, hurrying us on, muttering about “young people’s unpunctuality”. And we were off, wandering in the wilds of Dudhwa, a park that owed its very existence to Billy. He pointed out a raptor, strained to hear the call of the barking deer, rejoiced at elephant tracks. And when a truck hurtled down the road, horn blaring rudely, it was Billy’s roar that rose above it, “You b*&#%, stop... this is the tiger’s forest...”
Billy shall not die. I shall not mourn him, for he must live on, wildlife must not be orphaned at his passing away. His cause must be our cause, his unfinished battles our task... only in that will we pay a befitting tribute to this great man who lived for the wilds.
i feel his loss personally--and deeply regret--that i could not go meet him in his last days--
PRERNA SINGH BINDRA looks back on the life of a committed conservationist whose legacy in wildlife preservation continues to inspire
BILLY ARJAN SINGH
1917 - 2010
‘HONORARY TIGER’ Padma Bhushan Billy Arjan Singh breathed his last on the first day of the Year of the Tiger’ – January 1, 2010. He will be remembered as a pioneer conservationist, and for his long and courageous battle for India’s wildlife. My abiding memory of Billy dates back to five winters ago. I was at Tiger Haven, his home at the edge of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, chatting over supper when he asked me “to please fulfil his one wish”. Of course. He carefully inserted a cassette into his battered music system. Soon, the speakers cackled with a sound alien to the drawing room but from the heart of the jungle – Hon-hon, Hon, haawwn, the barasingha’s bugle resounded within the confines of the room. He looked at me then, his eyes beseeching. “Can you please make me a horn with this sound? Do you know the barasingha is Uttar Pradesh’s state animal? Isn’t it befitting then that my jeep should echo with its rutting call?” I picture Billy, then, and now, bumping along country roads, scaring the daylights of unsuspecting commuters with the jeep’s rutting call... Billy, Billy, Billy.
Billy hailed from the royal family of Kapurthala and was a bit of a misfit in the early years of his life (“I had no ‘prospects’, maybe that’s why when I proposed to Chandralekha, daughter of Vijayalakshmi Pandit, she didn’t agree”). Just out of the army, and jobless at 28, Billy landed at Palia in eastern UP and bought Tiger Haven, “since there was land available for farming and game for shooting”. That was Billy then, ruthless hunter, who put down his gun later in a moment of epiphany when he downed a young leopard “and watched the fire fading from the eyes of the dying animal. I was overcome with remorse, I had no right to destroy what I could not create, to kill for personal pleasure.”
From hunter and farmer to the doyen of tiger conservation. How does one encapsulate in limited wordage the remarkable life of Billy? He campaigned incessantly for putting a ban on game hunting in India, ensuring the closure of many shikar outfits; used shikar elephants to drive the barasingha, a critically endangered species into the forest from fields where they were gunned down. He swooped down, and spared no poacher or wood smuggler unlucky enough to cross his path. He raised three leopards and released them into the wild: ‘Prince’, so named since the leopard is “the Prince of Cats”, as well as Juliette and Harriet – presented to him by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Billy was best known for bringing up the zoo-bred Tara and releasing her in the wild. Tara was accused of being a man-eater, and reportedly killed as one – a claim that Billy always denied. “Not Tara,” he roared, “It was a foolish claim not backed by evidence, but by the prejudice of a hostile administration.” Tigers, he stressed, took to man-eating not by choice but when compelled by injuries or loss of territory and prey.
Billy observed, studied, wrote, struggled, battled, fought, lobbied, petitioned for the one cause around which he built his life. His passion and love for the wilds was a unique phenomenon, evident not just in his bigger, bitter battles, but in just about everything he did. If he was the man who created Dudhwa, he was also the man who left his mother calmly knitting in her enclosure, appropriately called ‘Gran’s Cage’, so that his leopard could roam free! In Billy’s world wild animals always took precedence over Homo sapiens.
In his later years, Billy felt despondent. “The tiger,” he despaired, “has no future. There is just no will to save it. The government will not make what it perceives as ‘unpopular decisions’ because of vote politics and instead propounds nonsensical theories of co-existence (of tigers and people).” He doggedly campaigned for a separate wildlife service — specialisation was needed in wildlife management much like one “requires experts for different branches for medicine. It’s as critical.” He lobbied for buffer zones around reserves to avoid conflict.It's a crusade Billy had been fighting almost forever — from fiery letters to Indira Gandhi “who understood and responded” to current petitions, painstakingly pecked out, with one finger, on his ancient, trusty typewriter. There was so much to be done to save Dudhwa — desilt the Soheli- Neora rivers, deal with the issue of the railway line that cuts through the reserve, regularly killing elephants and tigers. There was so much to be done for India’s wilds — halt the fragmentation of forests, the destruction, have a dedicated wildlife service. “We must save the tiger,” he urged. “It is to the tiger that we owe the air we breathe, the water we drink... if it goes, we go.”
Billy fought till the end. I remember the last time I met Billy... just over a year ago. At 93, his health was failing, a recent operation had rendered him weak, and he was not a little grumpy. “Let’s go the jungle, Billy, I pleaded, my heart sinking at his ‘no’. “I am too ill,” he said, and fussily presided over the arrangements, a prefect, gracious host.
But Billy was seated in the vehicle far before his entourage, hurrying us on, muttering about “young people’s unpunctuality”. And we were off, wandering in the wilds of Dudhwa, a park that owed its very existence to Billy. He pointed out a raptor, strained to hear the call of the barking deer, rejoiced at elephant tracks. And when a truck hurtled down the road, horn blaring rudely, it was Billy’s roar that rose above it, “You b*&#%, stop... this is the tiger’s forest...”
Billy shall not die. I shall not mourn him, for he must live on, wildlife must not be orphaned at his passing away. His cause must be our cause, his unfinished battles our task... only in that will we pay a befitting tribute to this great man who lived for the wilds.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
editorial for the current Tiger Link
Hello!
Good to be back again, albeit a bit late. In this issue, you will notice that Jairam Ramesh, the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (Independent Charge) finds repeated mention. Mainly because under the new minister (he took charge on May 29th), the MoEF has seen a flurry of action—after a rather sedentary, if not counter-productive decade. So how has the change been, and has it been good for wildlife, especially tigers? Cynical as I am—with reason of course!—we have had cause to celebrate. One big victory is that the 900 crore INO project—a Neutrino laboratory, that was to come just about three km from the core critical habitat of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, and bang on an elephant and tiger corridor has not been given the go-ahead. The other has been a resounding ‘No’ to the extremely destructive coal mines coming up in the buffer of Tadoba Tiger Reserve. It wasn’t easy-there was extreme pressure to give both of these the green signal—especially in the case of the former. Another major achievement was the unlocking of the CAMPA funds—you will read the details in this issue. There have been many good ‘tiger’ initiatives—which the director has detailed in his note. Even so, I would put a voice of caution. For one, it’s a bit too early to judge—and while the intentions are in the right direction it will take time for these to translate into real change on the ground.
What remains a worry is that most states have not come upto par. Bluntly put, they have been dragging their feet—resisting some initiatives, refusing to cooperate with others-to the point of being confrontational. We need them on board, we simply cannot save tigers unless states cooperate. Political will at the state level is an imperative, for they ‘own’ the habitats, and by default the tigers! We have to find ways to work together…the tiger is our collective heritage.
There are some concerns that nag my mind. I may be opening a hornet’s nest—but here goes: It is this whole issue of relocation of tigers. Relocation has become a necessity given that we have allowed by our indifference, and gloss negligence, for tigers to go extinct in certain reserves. I feel euphoric too, seeing the tiger back in its sterile forest. Feeling hope where none remained—extinguished by the last tiger. But have we really thought it through? Considered it with vision, weighed its cost-effectiveness? Or have we rushed into it willy-nilly propelled by political pressures, and maybe even a sense of guilt. It is not an easy exercise, requiring much effort, money-and is fraught with risk. Is it done in a proper manner, in accordance with existing rules and giudelines? I wonder too, if we are taking attention—and considerable funds—away from viable habitats with viable populations? Will Sariska or a Panna ever have the ‘minimum breeding populations’ that are essential to make the population viable? Of course, its counter is: do we close the chapter in a reserve where a tiger has gone extinct? Not a happy thought that...are there any clear answers?
At the risk of repetition, I would like to raise another point. It is high time we got our basics in order. Every time I enter a tiger reserve I am shocked by the condition of the field staff. With all the focus—and the hype—about tiger protection, their condition has remained unchanged since the inception of Project Tiger. Their plight has been well-documented—yet that unpaid, underpaid, and unsung foot soldier is the man on the front to save the tiger.
One more reason we are losing the battle. Well, almost. It’s an emergency, urges the minister. Then why does the situation continue to be so grim? Check out the numbers of tigers killed this year—76 at last count. That’s about seven per cent of our wild tiger population.
And these are not the ‘real’ figure, those would be higher. The deaths that go unnoticed, unrecorded. Generations lost when the mother dies. Like in the forests around Tadoba, where five breeding tigresses went missing in the past year. They all had cubs. Some died, others are condemned to captivity.
A generation of tigers lost to the forest forever.
“Sixteen of our reserves are in a very, very, very (the minister’s words) precarious position.”
Possibly the Sariska’s and Panna’s of tomorrow. And the pressures, and the threats—they only increase...
From a booming population –of both people, and cattle. From development projects. From the fact that India is growing, and wants to grow faster. Target GDP: 9 per cent per annum. And let’s not forget the ‘blood trade’—the booming skin and bone bazaar.
We (India) have a supply-precarious as it is.
And there is a demand-an ever increasing hunger for skins, bones, whiskers, penises. As the subsequent pages will tell you, the first ever attempt to talk with China on the subject at a ministerial level fell through. The latest word is that China is on the verge of reopening internal trade, which as we know, will be disastrous for our wild populations.
This journal will reach you at the dawn of the New Year. 2010. The Year of the Tiger.
Wait, don’t celebrate. The year won’t be so special for the tiger, being the ‘Tiger Year’ may only serve to fuel the demand further in China, it is feared.
Yet, we still have a fighting chance—our only chance to save the tiger. It’s a monumental task but there is a window of hope.
For, whatever be the odds, India wants to save her wild tigers…
Good to be back again, albeit a bit late. In this issue, you will notice that Jairam Ramesh, the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (Independent Charge) finds repeated mention. Mainly because under the new minister (he took charge on May 29th), the MoEF has seen a flurry of action—after a rather sedentary, if not counter-productive decade. So how has the change been, and has it been good for wildlife, especially tigers? Cynical as I am—with reason of course!—we have had cause to celebrate. One big victory is that the 900 crore INO project—a Neutrino laboratory, that was to come just about three km from the core critical habitat of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, and bang on an elephant and tiger corridor has not been given the go-ahead. The other has been a resounding ‘No’ to the extremely destructive coal mines coming up in the buffer of Tadoba Tiger Reserve. It wasn’t easy-there was extreme pressure to give both of these the green signal—especially in the case of the former. Another major achievement was the unlocking of the CAMPA funds—you will read the details in this issue. There have been many good ‘tiger’ initiatives—which the director has detailed in his note. Even so, I would put a voice of caution. For one, it’s a bit too early to judge—and while the intentions are in the right direction it will take time for these to translate into real change on the ground.
What remains a worry is that most states have not come upto par. Bluntly put, they have been dragging their feet—resisting some initiatives, refusing to cooperate with others-to the point of being confrontational. We need them on board, we simply cannot save tigers unless states cooperate. Political will at the state level is an imperative, for they ‘own’ the habitats, and by default the tigers! We have to find ways to work together…the tiger is our collective heritage.
There are some concerns that nag my mind. I may be opening a hornet’s nest—but here goes: It is this whole issue of relocation of tigers. Relocation has become a necessity given that we have allowed by our indifference, and gloss negligence, for tigers to go extinct in certain reserves. I feel euphoric too, seeing the tiger back in its sterile forest. Feeling hope where none remained—extinguished by the last tiger. But have we really thought it through? Considered it with vision, weighed its cost-effectiveness? Or have we rushed into it willy-nilly propelled by political pressures, and maybe even a sense of guilt. It is not an easy exercise, requiring much effort, money-and is fraught with risk. Is it done in a proper manner, in accordance with existing rules and giudelines? I wonder too, if we are taking attention—and considerable funds—away from viable habitats with viable populations? Will Sariska or a Panna ever have the ‘minimum breeding populations’ that are essential to make the population viable? Of course, its counter is: do we close the chapter in a reserve where a tiger has gone extinct? Not a happy thought that...are there any clear answers?
At the risk of repetition, I would like to raise another point. It is high time we got our basics in order. Every time I enter a tiger reserve I am shocked by the condition of the field staff. With all the focus—and the hype—about tiger protection, their condition has remained unchanged since the inception of Project Tiger. Their plight has been well-documented—yet that unpaid, underpaid, and unsung foot soldier is the man on the front to save the tiger.
One more reason we are losing the battle. Well, almost. It’s an emergency, urges the minister. Then why does the situation continue to be so grim? Check out the numbers of tigers killed this year—76 at last count. That’s about seven per cent of our wild tiger population.
And these are not the ‘real’ figure, those would be higher. The deaths that go unnoticed, unrecorded. Generations lost when the mother dies. Like in the forests around Tadoba, where five breeding tigresses went missing in the past year. They all had cubs. Some died, others are condemned to captivity.
A generation of tigers lost to the forest forever.
“Sixteen of our reserves are in a very, very, very (the minister’s words) precarious position.”
Possibly the Sariska’s and Panna’s of tomorrow. And the pressures, and the threats—they only increase...
From a booming population –of both people, and cattle. From development projects. From the fact that India is growing, and wants to grow faster. Target GDP: 9 per cent per annum. And let’s not forget the ‘blood trade’—the booming skin and bone bazaar.
We (India) have a supply-precarious as it is.
And there is a demand-an ever increasing hunger for skins, bones, whiskers, penises. As the subsequent pages will tell you, the first ever attempt to talk with China on the subject at a ministerial level fell through. The latest word is that China is on the verge of reopening internal trade, which as we know, will be disastrous for our wild populations.
This journal will reach you at the dawn of the New Year. 2010. The Year of the Tiger.
Wait, don’t celebrate. The year won’t be so special for the tiger, being the ‘Tiger Year’ may only serve to fuel the demand further in China, it is feared.
Yet, we still have a fighting chance—our only chance to save the tiger. It’s a monumental task but there is a window of hope.
For, whatever be the odds, India wants to save her wild tigers…
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