India lost 337 tigers in the past decade
A recent RTI query revealed that India has lost 337 tigers in the past decade, due to a variety (hardly new) of reasons. These pertain to both inside and outside the tiger reserves.
Now think about the actual number of tigers died. This is because,the credibility of Indian government and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA) is hardly believable.
A highest of 58 were found dead in 2009, followed by 56 in 2011, 36 in 2008 and 28 each in 2007 and 2002, the RTI reply said. A total of 17 tigers, including cubs, were found dead in 2005, 16 each in 2003 and between January and March this year, and 14 in 2006.
As many as 68 tigers were victims of poaching in the past decade.Besides poaching, other reasons include natural causes such as old age, starvation, infighting and weakness, also due to human negligence in rail and road accidents and electrocution.
About a dozen incidents are those where cause of death "Could not be ascertained". While it is mandatory to release postmortem reports, two instances of tiger deaths in 2003 are still waiting for results. Way to go NTCA!
The poaching trend is alarming, as the number of incidents are increasing by year. A highest of 14 tigers were poached in 2010, 13 in 2009, 11 in 2011, nine in 2002, six each in 2007 and 2008, five in 2006, three in January and March this year and one in 2004.
Shedding more light on this RTI data, 61% of Adult tigers die due to infighting,while poaching killed 19% of cubs and 20% of adults. Infighting is resultant of lack of forest cover, which is obviously an anthropogenic forcing of tiger habitat. Cubs die due to malnutrition and infighting. All of this point to insufficient monitoring by both NTCA and forest department. Provisions to circumvent insurgencies in tiger reserves are not enough to combat ever increasing poachers. Some tigers might have crossed territory and fell prey to opportunistic poachers, but that is a rarity.
They are more afraid of us than we are of them. If animals were to be in our position, human race would be wiped out from the Earth if they were to extend the same courtesy.
Sometimes it makes me think what is left of our "alleged" humanity. Shame on it.












