Tiger numbers crash 60% in India.

11/12/2006 00:00:00 A recent and detailed survey by the WILDLIFE INSTITUTE OF INDIA (WII) has shown that estimates of tiger numbers surviving in India are hugely optimistic. The report found that there are only 490 tigers in the 16 reserves of Madhya Pradesh, Rajastan, Maharastra and Chattisgarh. The 2002 census had recorded 1,233 tigers in these states, so 743 tigers have gone missing! A loss of 60%. The 2002 survey claimed that there was 3500 tigers in India, however if the rate of loss above is extrapolated to the whole of India, the likelihood is that there are just 1400 tigers left in India. And some authorities think that even that numbers is over optimistic.

The new method of tiger counting in the wild
Earlier surveys used pug mark counts, but this time the WII used camera traps, which helped the team to identify individual members as the strips on a tiger are like finger prints. Thousands of camera traps were used by the WII and cross checked with other factors such as sightings, quality of prey base, and the dung count. Ashok Kumar is vice chairman of Wildlife Trust of India, member of CITES, Founder director of TRAFFIC- India & IUCN cat specialist group member and a veteran in the field for tiger conservation with in-depth knowledge on the tiger trade.

Kumar said conservation methods used by the government are archaic and patrolling needs to be strengthened. ‘Apart from vehicle patrolling, they need to go for foot patrolling and the intelligence gathering mechanism needs to be strengthened to stop poaching.’

‘To stop poisoning of tigers and human-animal conflict, the government should give some compensation to villagers whose cattle were preyed upon by tigers. Thus they can avoid poisoning of tigers by village people,’ Kumar said. ‘Nearly 25 per cent of forest guard vacancies need to be filled immediately,’ he added. Illegal trade in tiger parts
There is already a terrible toll on India's tigers, mostly caused by the trade in tiger parts in China and Tibet. However there are fears that this will be exacerbated if China lifts its current ban on the trade of tiger products. There are around 5000 tigers on tiger farms in China currently (there are approximately 10,000 tigers in captivity in USA alone), but, aside from any moral argument about the farming of tiger products, if China allows unrestricted trade in tiger products it will be a very short time before the remaining wild tigers disappear.

The counter argument is that with a large new source of tiger parts on the market, the prices will drop and this will make it uneconomic to poach wild tigers. However apart from being an abhorrent way to treat tigers to create products of at best no medicinal value, is it worth taking the risk to find out that it was a mistake, but that there are now no tigers left? What the Wildlife Trust of India is doing to protect tigers.
WTI is one of the leading wildlife conervation organizations in India. A trade control team lead by Mr.Ashok Kumar has informers in various states to keep an ‘eye’ on poachers, traders, trade routes etc. The team has assisted the government officials in many cases across the country by providing accurate information, infrastructure, help & assisting during the seizure and investigation of poaching. A legal team fights the cases in various courts across the country to ensure that the accused are awarded proper punishments.

The organization runs training camps and workshops for forest guards across the country and teaches them techniques and awareness as well as assisting various state forest departments to build watch towers, provide vehicles and to insure the forest Guards.

Click here to go to the website of the Wildlife Trust of India