Karnataka: Tiger numbers up, but habitats under threat

Bengaluru: Though the state can boast of having highest concentration of tigers in the whole country, the increase in number of big cats has thrown up new challenges in protecting their habitats. Around 406 tigers are reported to be roaming in the wild in Karnataka, but their habitats are increasingly under threat.

Wildlife experts lament that the state government’s programme to relocate tribals out of tiger reserves has slowed down, even though at least 500 families had applied for it. They fear the Forest Department would lose this window of opportunity, if the pace of relocation does not pick up.

They also point out that there was a deliberate move to slow down the process. For tribal families inside Nagarhole Tiger Reserve (Kallahalla Range) the local panchayat was building homes in forest area and in BRT Tiger Reserve a government department had offered goats to tribal families residing inside it. States such as Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu were doing well in relocating the tribal families and consolidating the tiger areas, but in Karnataka no such efforts are being seen in the last few years, they lamented.

“Some of the families that have opted for voluntary relocations are dogging wild animal problems on a daily basis and they are unable to provide education or medical care for their family members. The Nagarhole officials are yet to build the houses for more than 300 tribal families, who are now willing to move outside the forest. For years the tiger areas have remained more or less same, but it’s the numbers of tigers that are bouncing back. It’s also clear that humans and tigers cannot coexist in the available tiger habitat, hence relocation of families must be considered as top priority,” explained a wildlife expert.

For the forest department, managing the tigers that are living outside the Protected Areas is another big challenge and is bound to increase in future. “Instances of tigers and leopards moving outside the forest areas have increased. The Forest Department has men and machines to bring back these strayed wild cats, but this facility is not available in all the wildlife areas. It’s important to have rescue teams near all the wildlife areas so that instances of human-wildlife conflict can be reduced. Tiger management is not possible without the support from the local people, and the support can be acquired only by convincing them that the tigers are not their enemies,” the expert added.

Ravi Ralf, Wildlife Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), said the relocation process has been a priority and it’s been taken up in all the reserves. “As far as the wildlife rescue cases are concerned, they do not occur on a daily basis. As and when the need arises the Department is capable enough to handle straying tigers. The tiger numbers in the state are the testimony for the department’s increase vigilance and protection of the tiger areas in the last few years,” he said.