45 tigers killed so far this year

The government has been making all the right noises about its efforts to save the tiger. But the results, so far, have been little to roar about — 2009 has, in fact, been the deadliest in recent years for the big cats. There is also a worrying trend of tiger deaths due to man-animal conflict, and not just poaching.

Despite millions being pumped into saving tigers and interventions at the highest level, as many as 100 tigers have been killed in the past three years. Sources in Project Tiger, set up by the ministry of environment and forests, also confirm that the first six months of 2009 accounted for 45 of those deaths. Government statistics show 28 tiger deaths in 2008 and 27 in 2007.

Two years ago, Madhya Pradesh’s Panna reserve boasted at least two dozen tigers. Now it has none.

“The government has been unable to control poaching,” said Sunita Narain, chairperson, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the empowered committee appointed by the government. She says though NTCA had submitted a report to the government, cautioning it about the increasing number of deaths this year, no action has been taken.

“There is no dearth of funds with the government. But it is unable to protect the tigers because the guards are too old and cannot run around the reserves to break the nexus of poachers,” said Narain, adding that recruitment is handled by the states and the centre has not much say in it.

“There are cases being reported of conflict between tigers fighting amongst themselves, because of the increasing human presence which is lessening their habitat,” she said. “We have also come across cases of human-animal conflicts because sometimes these tigers stray into villages.”

Statistics also reveal that at least 12 tiger deaths were due to poisoning, a sign of the man-animal conflict.

Of the 11 tigers that were reportedly killed in the Kaziranga National Park, Assam, three were confirmed as poisoning cases. The situation is no different at the Tadoba National Park, Maharashtra, where six tigers have died since February this year, when the first case was reported.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA), the apex body overseeing efforts to save tigers, found that three deaths in Nagarhole, Corbett and Bindapur tiger reserves were because of poisoning in the past one-and-a-half months.

“If the death occurs due to natural causes, there is no problem. But poaching and poisoning are of real concern. If a tiger is poached or poisoned, most of the times locals are involved directly or indirectly, by supporting professional poachers,” said Samir Kumar Sinha of Valmiki Tiger Reserve. Tiger death cases are also being noticed in Dudua, Uttar Pradesh, where two tigers were killed between February and April and another tiger died of poisoning at the tiger reserve in Balasore, Orissa.