Past Project Tiger: Project Tiger, launched in 1973-74, is one of our most successful conservation ventures in the recent

times. The project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted 'tiger reserves', which are representative of various bio-geographical regions falling within our country. It strives to maintain a viable tiger population in the natural environment. An estimate of the tiger population in India, at the turn of the century, placed the figure at 40,000. Subsequently, the first ever all India tiger census was conducted in 1972 which revealed the existence of only 1827 tigers. Various pressures in the later part of the last century led to the progressive decline of wilderness, resulting in the disturbance of viable tiger habitats. At the IUCN General Assembly meeting in Delhi, in 1969, serious concern was voiced about the threat to several species of wildlife and the shrinkage of wilderness in the country. In 1970, a national ban on tiger hunting was imposed and in 1972 the Wildlife Protection Act came into force. A 'Task Force' was then set up to formulate a project for tiger conservation with an ecological approach. The project was launched in 1973, and various tiger reserves were created in the country on a 'corebuffer' strategy. The core areas were freed from all sorts of human activities and the buffer areas were subjected to 'conservation oriented land use'. Management plans were drawn up for each tiger reserve, based on the principles outlined below: 1. Elimination of all forms of human exploitation and biotic disturbance from the core area and rationalization of activities in the buffer zone. 2. Restricting the habitat management only to repair the damages done to the eco-system by human and other interferences, so as to facilitate recovery of the eco-system to its natural state. 3. Monitoring the faunal and floral changes over time and carrying out research about wildlife. Initially, 9 tiger reserves were established in different States during the period 1973-74, by pooling the resources available with the Central and State Governments. These nine reserves covered an area of about 13,017sq.km-viz Manas (Assam), Palamau (Bihar), Similipal (Orissa), Corbett (U.P.), Kanha (M.P.), Melghat (Maharashtra), Bandipur (Karnataka), Ranthambhore (Rajasthan) and Sunderbans (West Bengal). The project started as a 'Central Sector Scheme' with the full assistance of Central Government till 1979-80: later, it become a 'centrally Sponsored Scheme' from 1980-81, with equal sharing of expenditure between the center and the states. The W.W.F. has given an assistance of US $ 1 million in the form of equipments, expertise and literature. The various States are also bearing the loss on account of giving up the forestry operations in the reserves. The main achievements of this project are excellent recovery of the habitat and consequent increase in the tiger population in the reserve areas, from a mere 268 in 9 reserves in 1972 to 1576 in 27 reserves in 2003. Tiger, being at the apex of the food chain, can be considered as the indicator of the stability of the eco-system. For a viable tiger population, a habitat should possess a good prey base, which in turn will depend on an undisturbed forest vegetation. Thus, 'Project Tiger', is basically the conservation of the entire eco-system and apart from tigers, all other wild animals also have increased in number in the project areas. In the subsequent 'Five Year Plans', the main thrust was to enlarge the core and buffer zones in certain reserves, intensification of protection and ecodevelopment in the buffer zones of existing tiger reserves, creation of additional tiger reserves and strengthening of the research activities. The management strategy was to identify the limiting factors and to mitigate them by suitable

management. The damages done to the habitat were to be rectified, so as to facilitate the recovery of eco-system to the maximum possible extent. Management practices which tend to push the wildlife populations beyond the carrying capacity of the habitat were carefully avoided. A minimum core of 300 sq. km. with a sizeable buffer was recommended for each project area. The overall administration of the project is monitored by a 'Steering Committee'. The execution of the project is done by the respective State Governments. A 'Field Director' is appointed for each reserve, who is assisted by the field and technical personnel. The Chief Wildlife warden in various States are responsible for the field execution. At the Centre, a full-fledged 'Director' of the project coordinates the work for the country.

Present

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Wireless communication system and outstation patrol camps have been developed within the tiger reserves, due to which poaching has declined considerably. Fire protection is effectively done by suitable preventive and control measure Voluntory Village relocation has been done in many reserves, especially from the core, area. In Kanha, Bandipur and Ranthambhore, all the villages have been shifted from the core, and after relocation, the villagers have been provided with alternate agricultural lands and other community benefits. This has resulted in the improvement of the carrying capacity of the habitat. Live stock grazing has been controlled to a great extent in the tiger reserves. Various compensatory developmental works have improved the water regime and the ground and field level vegetations, thereby increasing the animal density. Research data pertaining to vegetational changes are also available from many reserves. In general, the 'restorative management' and 'intense protection' under 'Project Tiger' have saved many of our eco-typical areas from destruction. The area around the buffer is now contemplated as a zone of multiple use, to bring compatibility between the reserves and the neighbouring communities.

Future

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a) Use of Information and Communication technology in Wildlife Protection and Crime Risk Management in Tiger reserves. Wildlife protection and crime risk management in the present scenario requires a widely distributed Information Network, using the state-of-art Information and Communication Technology. This becomes all the more important to ensure the desired level of protection in field formations to safeguard the impressive gains of a focused project like 'Project Tiger'. The important elements in Wildlife protection and control are: Mapping/plotting the relative spatial abundance of wild animals, identification of risk factors, proximity to risk factors, sensitivity categorization, crime mapping and immediate action for apprehending the offenders based on effective networking and communication. Space technology has shown the interconnectivity of natural and anthropogenic phenomena occurring anywhere on earth. Several Tiger Reserves are being linked with the Project Tiger Directorate in the GIS domain for Wildlife Crime Risk Management. b) GIS based digitized database and MIS development/networking in Tiger Reserves: With the advanced IT tools, a wide gamut of software solutions are available to improve wildlife related information capture process, its analysis and informed decision making. Geographic Information System is the most relevant of these technologies for natural resource management projects, including wildlife management. The mandate of project tiger is to conserve tigers in a holistic manner. The GIS based database at PTHQ is being linked with the microcomputers in the Tiger Reserves, so that a dynamic linkage for rapid information flow is established using Arc IMS

facility. c) Tiger Habitat & Population Evaluation System for the Indian Sub Continent A 'Tiger Atlas of India' and a 'Tiger Habitat & Population Evaluation System for the country is being developed using the state- of - the - art technology. This involves: 1. Mapping , data acquisition and GIS modeling 2. Field data collection and validation 3. Data Maintenance , Dissemination and Use The following potential tiger habitats in the country are being covered: >Shivalik-Terai Conservation Unit(Uttaranchal, UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Nepal) >Nort east Conservation Unit >Sunderbans Conservation Unit >Central Indian Conservation Unit >Eastern Ghat Conservation Unit >Western Ghat Conservation Unit Satellite data is being used and classified into vegetation and land use maps on a 1:50,000 scale, with digitized data relating to contour , villages, roads , drainage , administrative boundaries and soil . The spatial layers would be attached with attribute data , viz. human population , livestock population , meteorological data, agricultural information and field data pertaining to wildlife, habitat for evolving regional protocols to monitor tiger and its habitat. Vision For the Future The dynamics of forest management and wildlife conservation have been distorted due to need for income, lack of awareness, lack of landuse policy and population pressure. Since the traditional use systems of people are neither static nor benign, these should not be overlooked. A regional development approach in landscapes having Tiger Reserves is of utmost importance in our country. It should be viewed as a mosaic of different landuse patterns, viz, tiger conservation / preservation, forestry, sustainable use and development, besides socio-economic growth. Tiger habitats exist in environments of thousands of indigenous communities which depend on them. Therefore we cannot view these protected areas in isolation from the surrounding socio-economic realities and developmental priorities of the Govt. This calls for a cross-sectoral and cross-disciplinary approach.

Tigers now need a "preservationist" approach. Regional planning is important around Tiger Reserves to foster ecological connectivity between protected areas through restorative inputs with integrated landuse planning. The management plan of a Tiger Reserve, therefore, needs to be integrated in larger regional management plans.

Introduction Tigers (and all other carnivores) have descended from miacids that lived during the ice-age. Approximately 37 cat species exist today, including Panthera tigris, the tiger. All throughout the

world the tiger holds fascination for many people. Certain cultures retain the tiger as a symbol of strength, which has a mysterious aura surrounding it. But the fact remains that the tiger is in danger of extinction. Welcome, you are about to enter the world of the tiger... Evolution: The oldest known felids including tigers are believed to have evolved over 1 million years ago in Asia. From there the tiger spread north to the Amur region of eastern Russia, south to the islands of Indonesia, and southwest to Indochina and the Indian subcontinent, eastern Turkey, and the Caspian Sea. The tiger has distinct traits & at times is grouped as a separate sub genus. Distribution: It is widely distributed over the forests of India ranging from the sub-alpine Himalayas to down south and across east-west, but excluding Kashmir valley and the desert and arid portions of Rajasthan and Kutch. Distinctive traits: The tiger (panthera tigris) is one of the biggest and most fearsome predators in the world. The body bears black stripes against a brownish yellow to rufous background with a white underside. The adult animal is solitary and strongly territorial when inhabiting better habitats having fair prey density. The territory of the male in such cases encompasses smaller territories of two or more females. The distinctive colour scheme of the tiger allows it to camouflage unseen in the forest. Age: The life span of tigers in the wild on an average is around 8 to 15 years. Tigers in zoos live longer (between 16 and 20 years). Vision: Tigers have round pupils and yellow irises (except for the blue eyes of white tigers). Due to a retinal adaptation that reflects light back to the retina, the night vision of tigers is six times better than that of humans. It can adjust to sudden darkness at once unlike the human eye. The presence of rods & cones in the eye indicates the possibility of colour vision. Tactile Hair: Tiger hairs are used as tactile receptors helping it to know more about its immediate surroundings The fur hair length varies geographically. In the southern subspecies the hairs are short (approximately 7 to 20 mm on the back and 15 to 35 mm on the stomach). The density of fur is dependent on seasonal and geographical factors. Claws: A tiger's forefeet have five toes and the hind feet have four toes. All toes have claws. The claws are sickle shaped and are important for offence and defence. The claws are retracted during walking and extended during attack. Chromosomes:

The diploid Chromosomes are 38 in number. Teeth design: Tigers are meat eaters and their teeth design is adapted for this purpose. There are 30 teeth & the tiger bites with the side of its mouth. Its long, powerful canines are used to kill & grab the prey. The length of the canine teeth can be between 2.5 to 3 inches (74.5 to 90 mm.). Maintenance of equilibrium: It is extremely well-developed in tigers. The Tail is 3 to 4 feet long, about half as long as its body. Tigers use their tails for balance when they run through fast turns. They also use their tails to communicate with other tigers. Paw prints: A tiger's paw prints are called pug marks, which are individualistic like human finger prints. No two tigers have the same pug marks. Size: Tigers are the largest of all big cats- the body length of the male ranges from 275-290 cm, and for the females it is around 260 cm. The size and colouration varies according to the climate. Reproductive behaviour & post-natal care: Mating follows a definite courtship period, the mother carries total responsibility of bringing up the young. Cubs stay with their mother for as long as 18-30 months. Males are generally intolerant of cubs, though exceptions are there. Stripes act as camouflage, and help tigers hide from their prey. The Sumatran tiger has the most stripes of all the tiger subspecies, and the Siberian tiger has the fewest stripes.

Legal and statutory

Government of India enacted a comprehensive legislation "Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972" with the objective of effectively controlling poaching and illegal trade in wildlife and its derivatives. This has been amended recently (January, 2003) and punishment and penalty for offences under the Act have been made more stringent. Offences pertaining to hunting of endangered species and altering of boundaries of protected areas For offences relating to wild animals (or their parts and products) included in schedule-I or part II of Schedule- II and those relating to hunting or altering the boundaries of a sanctuary or national park the punishment and penalty have been enhanced, the minimum imprisonment prescribed is three years which may extend to seven years, with a minimum fine of Rs. 10,000/-. For a subsequent offence of this nature, the term of imprisonment shall not be less than three years but may extend to seven years with a minimum fine of Rs. 25,000. Also a new section (51 - A) has been inserted in the Act, making certain conditions applicable while granting bail: 'When any person accused of the commission of any offence relating to Schedule I or Part II of Schedule II or offences relating to hunting inside the boundaries of National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary or altering the boundaries of such parks and sanctuaries, is arrested under the provisions of the Act, then not withstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, no

such person who had been previously convicted of an offence under this Act shall be released on bail unless (a) The Public Prosecutor has been given an opportunity of opposing the release on bail; and (b) Where the Public Prosecutor opposes the application, the Court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he is not guilty of such offences and that he is not likely to commit any offence while on bail". In order to improve the intelligence gathering in wildlife crime, the existing provision for rewarding the informers has been increased from 20% of the fine and composition money respectively to 50% in each case. In addition to this, a reward upto Rs. 10,000/- is also proposed to be given to the informants and others who provide assistance in detection of crime and apprehension of the offender. At present, persons having ownership certificate in respect of Schedule I and Part II animals, can sell or gift such articles. This has been amended with a view to curb illegal trade, and thus no person can now acquire Schedule I or Part II of Schedule II animals, articles or trophies except by way of inheritance (except live elephants). Stringent measures have also been proposed to forfeit the properties of hardcore criminals who have already been convicted in the past for heinous wildlife crimes. These provisions are similar to the provisions of 'Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985'. Provisions have also been made empowering officials to evict encroachments from Protected Areas. Offences not pertaining to hunting of endangered species Offences related to trade and commerce in trophies, animals articles etc. derived from certain animals (except chapter V A and section 38J) attracts a term of imprisonment upto three years and/or a fine upto Rs. 25,000/-.

What is an Endangered species? Endangered means danger of the species becoming extinct or dying out. Tigers are facing major population losses & extinction. Tigers are killed for sport, skins & body parts. The 1950s saw extinction of the Caspian tiger. The Bali and Java tiger are also extinct. The last Bali tiger was killed in 1937; the last Javan tiger was seen in 1972. India today has the largest number of tigers, with between 3,600 to 4,000. The South China tiger (20-30 are remaining), is nearly extinct in the wild. Reasons for the Endangered Status The Bengal tiger is endangered because it is poached for its body parts to cater to an illegal market. Another reason is habitat loss due to depletion of forest cover interference of humans and encrochment of forest land by people causing fragmentation. At the turn of the century, there were almost reportedly 40,000 tigers in India, but now only around 4,000 remain in the wild.

Why Save Tigers? Tiger is symbol of wilderness and well-being of the ecosystem. By conserving and saving tigers the entire wilderness ecosystem is conserved. In nature, barring human beings and their domesticates, rest of the ecosystem is wild. Hence conserving wilderness is important and crucial to maintain the life support system. So saving tiger amounts to saving the ecosystem which is crucial for man's own survival.

Problem Of Poaching In The Country And Illegal Trade In Wildlife Body Parts And Derivatives : Increased human and cattle population in our country has led to pressure on forest resources which has ultimately caused fragmentation and degradation of wildlife habitats. This, along with the increase in wildlife population in Protected Aeras have resulted in wildlife spilling over to other areas. Resultantly, increased man-animal conflicts leading to revenge killings and poaching are discernable. Though India is not a consumer of wildlife body parts, the demand from other countries for these with lucrative profits is a threat to wildlife. Reasons for man-animal conflict : Qualitative and quantitative decline of wildlife habitat including loss of prey base are main reasons for such a situation. Ex-gratia and compensation payment : Timely payment of ex-gratia for human deaths and compensation for loss of property is crucial to pacify the affected families. Government of India has raised the compensation against loss of human life to Rs 1 lakh. During the IXth plan compensation to the tune of Rs. 332 lakhs has been provided by Government of India under Project Tiger and Project Elephant for loss of life and property. Poaching Of Major Wild Animals : The wildlife products traded illegally from the country are Musk Deer for cosmetics, Bear for skin and bear bile, Elephant Tusk for ivory, Rhino horns for aphrodisiac, Tiger and Leopard skins for fashion products, oriental medicines and food, Snakes and Monitor Lizard skins for leather industry, Birds for pet trade and feather for decoration, Swiftlet nests for soups, Mongoose for bristles, Turtles for meat and soup, and Tibetan Antelope for shawls. It is estimated that quantum of trade in wildlife products is just next to narcotics, valued at nearly 20 billion dollars in the global market, of this more than one third is illegal. Illicit tranboundary trade in tiger body parts has increased due to lucrative prices offered for tiger bones in particular. As per one estimate (1999) 10 gms. of tiger bones fetch a price of US$ 24.25 at the ChinaVietnam border, i.e above Rs. 1 lakhs per kg. In Japan, trade in tiger parts and products was permitted till April, 2000. This has now been banned after persuasion by the global conservation community. Difficulties being faced by developing countries like India in controlling illicit trade in tiger parts and products, have been brought to the notice of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) time and again. The Convention has appealed to the International Community to support India in it's efforts for conserving tigers.

The list of poaching cases of major wild animals detected in various states during the last three years : Reported cases of Tiger Poaching: 1998 14 1999 38 2000 39 2001 35 2002 47 2003 8

Reported cases of Leopard Poaching : 1998 28 1999 80 2000 201 2001 69 2002 87 2003 15