Observations from April-May 2010 Trip

I spent six weeks in April-May visiting different tiger reserves across India. I started at Ranthambhore in Rajasthan followed by Bandhavgarh and Kanha in Madhya Pradesh, Tadoba in Maharastra, and ending with Nagarhole in Karnataka. Apart from some exciting tiger sightings, this trip provided a very good opportunity to compare the different reserves in terms of problems and issues affecting India’s wildlife. In the next few series of blogs I aim to put my thoughts on what I observed and experienced.


The reserves ranged from some very well known reserves in the world to some of the lesser known, but equally fascinating ones. From tiger conservation perspective, there are many practice and management variations among the reserves, which often have significant impact on the efforts to save the tiger. Within the complexities of India’s political system, it is difficult to imagine a concerted and common approach across the country.

The situation with tiger gets more worrying day by day. Though the denial attitude generally adopted by the authorities in relation to status of tigers appears to have changed, it is yet to transform into a consistent and proactive approach in the efforts to saving the tiger. Beginning from the centre to the state government and the forest department, everyone appears to blame the other for the problems without a clear desire to work together. The bureaucracy and the habits to create barriers against people working to save the wildlife still remain as before.

On the other hand large number of wildlife lovers and enthusiasts seem to find it easy to focus the blame on the government, more particularly the minister in charge of the environment and forests. I accept that as the person tasked for driving the environmental policy, he or she is ultimately responsible for the sad state of affairs. However, it would be naïve to assume that in a government made up of people with different interests and agendas, one person can make a difference or change the approach. We, the wildlife lovers and others with similar interests, need to recognise the limitations of the political system and work towards identifying ways to work with and around it. If we want the tiger and its habitat to have a viable future, instead of the finger pointing at the authorities, we need to use it with the remaining fingers in making a difference by positive action in and around the country. We also need to learn to work with like minded people and groups instead of creating ideological or other barriers.