TIGER & FOREST

TIGER- The BIG CAT

Tiger is given central importance in the conservation of forests and wildlife. Why?

Because it is a top predator, the largest carnivore, maintaining the balance in the ecosystem or saving our endangered ecosystem.

Tiger is an umbrella species, the conservation of tigers ensures the conservation of other species.

So the presence of tigers inside the forest means the well-being of the ecosystem. Because it

• serves as a habitat for a large variety of species
• maintaining nature balance
• helps in pollination
• enables forest density
• helps protect the gene-pool of innumerable organisms
• water purification
• restoration of soil fertility
• rainfall pattern etc. and many other important factors.

Thus protecting tigers is a highly important priority. But there are important factors that affect the tiger population as-

• Snare/Wire traps inside forest & in forest areas near fringe villages
• Poaching
• Trophy hunting
• Habitat Loss
• Fragmentation in tiger corridors
• Man-Animal Conflicts

with the increase in human population, urbanization, agricultural activities, mining, etc. humans are moving deeper into their territory. It results in conflicts on both sides, people or livestock are often attacked by tigers and people also try hard to take revenge by killing them. There is less space left for big cats/wild animals inside forests. They also start moving out of the jungle sometimes. This increases the possibility of more conflict between both sides.

• Road & Railway Kills

who is made accountable for these accidents?

Media and people put pressure only on forest department staff but never question others. For all accidents, everyone blames only FD even doing regular tight protection & all conservation measures by them, I observed this many times. Also, the government proposes these railway projects inside forest areas with critical wildlife habitat, the public supports, next, they propose railway doubling projects, public support then also, maybe because it is in-demand only..but when such wildlife kills/accidents by trains/roads happen, the loss is unrepairable & forever damage.

Warning: Sensitive pictures

To improve mitigation measures

MOEFCC and Railways should map and mark all the corridors in all the routes. The train speed limit in those stretches should not exceed 20-35kmph. Drivers and guards should be sensitized about the routes through continuous education and awareness. They should be instructed to use horns, sound & light signals in the forest areas to prevent the crossing of railways, especially at the night. Whereas under/overpasses and amphibian tunnels allow a safe crossing. On roads, signboards should be placed, driving limits and more speed breakers should be there. Habitat management in railway verges/roads, regular checkings, protection from FD in the area is needed to evade trains. Some mutual awareness or training programs can be also be conducted. So that innocent wildlife animals stay safe and live freely, move freely in their home.

• Poisoning water bodies by anti-nature social elements are very wrong and inhuman.
• Hunting of animals(using high-tech weapons also).

For people who are involved in such cases/killings, immediate action should be taken by FD or a local enforcement agency. These inhuman beings don’t know that these illegal activities not only fulfill their wrong intentions momentarily but affect the entire ecosystem, which will affect all the species including human beings.

DFO Nandyal (NSTR), AP, Sh. Vineet Kumar IFS says in our conversation, that Public Participation is a must. Because forests are an open resource. We get air, water, wood, food everything from them, so it’s our responsibility to protect it, its animals, and other species. Regarding roads & railways kills, these departments should also take responsibility. In the forest department, we are regularly checking and filling water pits inside the forest during the summer season especially, and regular protection is done by our frontline staff. If any discrepancy or illegal activity is found in the forest area, strict action should have been taken. I have also done district official meetings regarding such accidents, wrote to railways and road department, also doing protection campaigns in division and awareness & training programs for railways staff also. Recently an awareness campaign on ‘saving wildlife’ was organized, by painting pugmarks on roads and drawing wildlife signboards, etc., which has become quite successful, others are also following our idea in their areas. Tiger is an important species. Tiger and other wildlife are important for the ecosystem so their protection should never be compromised.

We as a society, as conscious citizens, should not allow anti-social elements to damage our forests, our mother nature. We should report such incidents immediately to the Forest Department.
Say ‘NO’ to tigers & other wildlife trades. Also, refuse to buy tiger parts and articles/items prepared from tiger derivatives. If you know of any information on poaching or trade of illegal wildlife, inform the FD as soon as possible. We as responsible citizens should also understand the working and technicalities of FD in protection. Some local communities are also participating in this great objective for decades. APFD also took the initiative to involve local communities in protection. Chenchu– the primitive tribals, are playing a very important role in tiger protection. There has been a win-win situation for both the forest department and the tribal community. Please check the link below-

https://youtu.be/xRHFzmx8RuI

Kudos! to the forest department and such officers who are working hard day and night to protect tigers (tiger numbers are increasing since the last tiger census 2018) & other species, protecting mother nature and doing their duty honestly.

Saving Tiger is not only our duty but also our responsibility.

Media

‘Media‘- I always said media is a strong pillar of our country. Whatever it publishes, it creates a large impact on the masses.
Some bad things are happening somewhere but only showing unrealistic, irrelevant, sensational fake news then Reality is left far back. The media should also publish positive and good news about the environment. Also, Media should do some RESEARCH, VERIFY the facts then publish them. Because it’s a RESPONSIBILITY.

My idea is each & every newspaper, e-paper, digital media, all should have one permanent column or page on nature, forest & environment. Because everyone talks on politics, infrastructure, poverty, unemployment, big industrial projects but Nature & environment is really a big concern. #Printmedia #Digitalmedia #Socialmedia

As we know that saving the tiger means indirectly saving the forests and in turn saving nature & the environment. We should know that when we take something from nature, we should be ready to give something back to it. Conserving nature means taking care of our future.

Hope you like my writings, any suggestions or ideas are always welcome.

Thanks 🙂

Rupak

=> Road/Railway accidents photos are quiet sensitive, please take precautions. But it is a sad reality. Their pain is unbearable and there loss is uncompensated. 

Copyright ©2022,Rupak.All Rights reserved.

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Thanks for sharing it @VineetKumarIFS.