Big cats in small numbers
Unbridled development activities have led to dwindling tiger numbers
 |
| Future Imperfect: The mounted tiger reflects the plight of the living equivalent in the wild |
15 February, 2010 – The tiger mount (reproduction of a dead tiger) unveiled at the clock tower square on Saturday could be indicative of the future of tigers in Bhutan if left unprotected.
The otherwise magnificent predator looked weak and starved, a stark contrast to the beast that roam the forests of 13 tiger range countries in the world. It didn’t go down well with the few spectators, who came to witness Bhutan marking its commitment towards tiger conservation. The skinny tiger mount dampened the excitement with some drawing hasty conclusions that the Year of the Tiger should be better than the mount.
The mount was that of the 56-year old tiger that was rescued from a village in Haa in 2005, but died weeks later.
But the prospect of the mount did send across a serious message. That is, if tigers are not conserved now and if actions are not taken now to save their habitat, the fate of the remaining, about 3,500, tigers in the world would be similar. In the last century, there were about a 100,000 tigers in the world.
Destructive human activities like poaching, habitat fragmentation and loss of natural prey base have led to the extinction of three of the eight species of tigers in the world, say experts on tiger conservation.
The director of the department of forest and park services, Karma Dukpa, said that the main threat to tigers in Bhutan comes from developmental activities. “With roads reaching everywhere, we’re infringing on migratory routes and splitting their habitats,” he said.
Human tiger conflict is another issue that also needs to be managed, he said. The nature conservation division (NCD), between 2002 and 2008, paid Nu 4.6 mn to 1,672 farmers as compensation for the 1,854 livestock killed by tigers. It still owes Nu 2 mn to farmers for the livestock lost to tigers.
He said that the ministry is working on chalking zonations or core areas across the country to protect the habitats for tigers. “Unlike protected areas of other countries, we have biological corridors that serve as migratory routes to the wildlife species,” he said. “Tigers are easily spotted when protected areas are pocketed and lack biological corridors.”
Along with the unveiling of the tiger mount, the world wildlife fund (WWF) supported celebration of the tiger year also saw the launch of the WWF supported tiger postal stamps, tiger information and status booklet, a photo guide of the flowers of Bhutan and calls for action to save the magnificent beast from becoming an abstract.
“If we don’t act now and put in place measures, the tigers may only live in pictures,” said the agriculture minister, Lyonpo (Dr) Pema Gyamtsho. “Tiger protection is the key to conservation because, when you have tigers, it indicates that the forest is in good condition.”
The tiger is also a religious icon for Bhutan, said NCD officials. It has featured in myths, where Guru Rinpoche rides a flying tigress to reach the tiger’s nest. They said that it’s also the only one existing among the four protector animals of the state religion that also included the dragon, the garuda and the snow lion.
Based on old data with NCD, about 120 endangered royal Bengal tigers roam the jungles of Bhutan, right from 100 m above sea level to as high as 4,100 m. The last survey of 1998 said that there are more tigers, with a density of one tiger every 50 sq km in the south, as compared to the central Himalayan region with one tiger in every 185 sq km.
The decreasing number of tigers across the globe, said the NCD chief forest officer, Dr Sonam Wangyel Wang, is a sign of ailing tiger conservation practices. “We need to understand the value of tigers,” he said. “And, along with that, we need to understand the value of their habitats.”
Source: kuenselonline