It must be done with an IRON HAND. No HALF-A$$ED measures here.
If AMERICA can return the BALD-EAGLE from the brink of Extinction, If Australia can do the same for the Salt-Water Crocodile and china can do this for the Panda
THEN INDIA MUST AND SHOULD DO THIS for the tiger with utmost patriotism.
If the Tiger and Lion makes an exit from India's forests then Indians would have failed as a people.
RE:Preserving the Tiger in its Natural Environs is a MUST
by ravinandanprakash agrawal on May 05, 2008 11:20 PM Permalink
I find your deductions outrageous but I must admit that somewhere down the line there is some truth in what you say. If a civilization cannot save a race as brilliant as 'tiger' its a human failure.
I just dont understand it. Why arent' just people put in charge of enforcement? Just putting them on committees to give ideas is not good enough - things get diluted out if not enforced.
Friends, I know I might angry some of you in this forum, but I couldn't help thinking that the plight of the tigers of India, a grand symbol and icon of our country, is just one among the zillion things that are left uncared for in this country. Why is the govt (any party - it doesn't matter who holds the power) always reactive and not proactive? If that's o.k., then why are the reactions utterly ineffective and not aimed at damage control? Why are politicians treated like gods and why aren't they answerable to any one? I mean, if a task force, similar to the tiger task force fails, why aren't those involved in it punished? Why aren't they suspended/dismissed from their jobs?
Is this lethargy a vital component of the system? It certainly seems so - and it's not just the political system, but our own system (psyche) as well. This 'chalta hai yaar..' attitude of our people and their utter lack of social responsibility are going to bring nothing but our own downfall. We want our homes to be clean, but we just don't care about the cleanliness of the streets and public areas. We want our country give us everything, but we won't reciprocate - we neither usher any positive change in the system, nor do we respect this country and its resources! Now, it's only a question of time before the Chinese take advantage of this lack of responsibility and whip our backside to Mars!
RE:Isn't it so typical of India?
by Seenu Subbu on May 06, 2008 01:15 AM Permalink
Unfortunately, every Tiger carcass fetches prices upwards of $10,000. Every cent of those $10K would be going into the pockets of everybody, from the Forest minister to the lowest guard who winks when the tigers are being poached. Doesn't matter who is in control or who heads a committee. Chinese need medicines for their potency, poor them, with their 1.3 billion population, they still need tiger and rhino body parts for their libido.
RE:Poor Governance
by Anand C on May 05, 2008 08:34 PM Permalink
If you visit a forest you would observe certain things which i observed when i saw one in down south. (1)The security checking is patchy at the best. The same can be attributed to the few number of resources and manpower assigned to the forest (2)Again even if the villagers are involved in the process of patrolling, its not really of use if there is no incentive or more specially pride for them (its common to see that they are willing to overlook if there is an ample tip provided) (3)Involving ex-army men in saving forest is not going to solve the problem. It is the willingness to serve with a mission and feeling of involvement that would make a difference. (4)The youth should be involved by arranging for camp-outs at school and college level as a compulsory exercise so that they learn to appreciate,respect and share our natural resources. Remember forests are not the most comfortable places with mosquitoes, no mobiles, internet and sometimes even with portable water. So any introduction to forests(for such people) should be amply clear and ensured that truly dedicated people are brought into the loop from the early age. Remember many like Steve Irvin, Attenborough etc were either introduced at youth or had one of their parents associated in some such organizations.Today we know that Steve's daughter is already following in his footsteps.
This article has attracted just three responses - this one included. That is the priority we assign to our national animal. Valmik raises a valid point of co-existence. Tigers need an exclusive habitat and ecosystem where they are at the apex and not the man. Destruction of habitat or poaching tigers are at the receiving end. One thing intrigues me that in our parks and santuaries also their numbers are not growing. Is poaching so rampant? What our forest and wildlife officials are doing? I think that we should embark upon a captive breeding programme for the tigers. Because due to poaching we are losing their gene pool also. Officials seem to be at their wits end and one should not expect any miracle from them. Tigers can only be saved if there is an accountability on daily basis and not a sudden disclosure that we are down by so many as compared to the last count. This way we will keep losing this magnificient animal and will still believe in incompetent officials who paint a rosy picture till the last day of census. Try incorporate some buisness houses in this project we will see better results. I think the time has come to have 24 hour satellite surveillance on our parks and sanctuaries to nab the culprits.
To protect tigers's and its habitats the following points need to be enforced on an immediate basis: 1) Scrap the tribal bill. Man and Tiger can never co-exist, this has been proven by Valmik Thaper and several other environment experts. 2) Make Anti-poaching laws even more stringent. Introduce harsh punishments for poaching of wild animals, so that they act as a deterance. 3) Employ ex-army personnel for protection of National Parks. 4) Relocate villages inside and around National parks and Tiger reserves. 5) Make environment and forest jobs more attractive by introducing latest equipments and good pay packs.
RE:Its sad to read the article
by suchhando chatterjee on May 05, 2008 02:02 PM Permalink
Have you ever visited a tiger reserve? If not then you should not come up with comments.. The system is crap.... But we need to do our best... we can take the first step....
