Have you seen a tiger at Sariska since June? If yes, you’re the only one

THE INDIAN EXPRESS

22 January, 2005

Where have the tigers of Sariska gone? The last official count was last summer when there were at least 15 tigers in this 866-sq-km reserve in Rajasthan—the previous Census had put it at 24—but for six months now, except for two sightings by tourists, not one tiger has been seen, not one pug mark by any official.
Experts are so worried that Project Tiger director Rajesh Gopal says he has asked for a report from Sariska authorities. ‘‘It’s unnatural if no pug mark is found. Natural death cannot happen at that scale. I will visit Sariska soon.’’
His alarm isn’t misplaced. Consider these:
• Traditionally, tigers retreat to the hills due to abundance of water during July-August rains before returning to the plains by October. And the ‘‘peak’’ season for tiger-sightings is December-January. But no forest official has spotted a tiger since June last year.
• Says Deputy Field Director Priyo Ranjan, who took charge last September: ‘‘I am yet to see a tiger here.’’
• In the peak season in 2003-2004, there were 17 official sightings, the previous year there were nine.
• No tiger pug mark or kill has been traced since the last monsoon. In the peak season,pugmarks are seen, on an average, every day.
• No tiger carcass recovered to suggest natural death.
• Leopards are seen frequenting the tiger territory like never before.
• Forest officials rule out an epidemic and deny having any evidence of tiger poaching.
In fact, few officials utter the P-word here. Says Rajasthan Forest Secretary Raj Hans Upadhyay: ‘‘I have already asked the Wildlife Warden to visit the sanctuary and check the ground reality.’’ Chief Wildlife Warden, Rajasthan, Arun Sen, rules out any foul play: "We have responsible officers and staff there. We will wait till the next Census.’’
While DFO Ranjan, too, says that there is no evidence of poaching, he points to the eastern fringe of the park as a vulnerable zone. ‘‘We arrest poachers who sneak in with dogs to hunt sambars but we can’t access the hilly areas during the rains when the jungle tracks are washed out. If something happened during that time last year, we have to find out.’’
Until that happens, the forest staff will remain clueless about the missing tigers. But the consensus is that managing the sprawl is getting increasingly difficult.
One reason, they say, is the 11 villages inside the proposed national park—Sariska hasn’t been declared a National Park pending relocation of these villages.
Says B M Sharma, Asstt Field Director: "We could have sealed the park otherwise. But these villagers cause a lot of movements. Sometimes, outsiders can get in as their relative or friends. Besides, cattle load is heavy and grazing rampant."
There are also problems of logistics. Of Rs 1.2 crore sanctioned by Project Tiger this year, only Rs 20 lakh has been used. The forest department can’t access more unless the state government also releases an equal amount of funds. They have only five guns, two revolvers, three jeeps and four motorcyles to patrol this forest.

BOX: IT’S A MYSTERY

PRIYO RANJAN, DFO, Sariska: I haven’t seen any tiger here since I joined last September. We are looking for pug marks, scratch marks, etc. It’s a matter of concern.

DR RAJESH GOPAL, IGF & Director, Project Tiger: It’s unnatural if no pug mark is found. I have asked for a report. I will visit Sariska soon. The Census is coming up. Let’s see what we get.

ARUN SEN, Chief Wildlife Warden, Rajasthan: If you don’t see tigers, it doesn’t mean there are not any. Who says there are no pug marks? I will check.

B M SHARMA, Asstt Field Director, Sariska: There have been no pug marks for months. We didn’t see any tiger since last June. It’s a mystery.

P K SEN, Director, WWF, India: There were quite a few tigers in Sariska until last year. They can’t just vanish. Mass death is unlikely.

VALMIK THAPAR, Tiger expert: I haven’t been to Sariska in a while. But I heard serious reports — even extreme reports like there is no tiger left.