Cut down excess funding to tiger, wildlife reserves'

The recent death of a nine-year-old tigress and her four one-year-old cubs due to poisoning, in Hoogyam Range in Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, is an example of the ongoing battle for survival among wildlife, domestic animals, and local farmers. There are no easy solutions to this tricky situation, but commitment, competency, and deft management of scarce resources by the forest department can go a long way in reducing conflicts in the days to come

- BOSKY KHANNA @Bengaluru

Karnataka boasts of the largest elephant population (6,395) and second largest tiger population (563) in India, as per the 2023 National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) report. The state also has 37 percent or 21,000 sq km of the Western Ghats, which is both a boon and a bane.

In the jungles, there is one rule: survival of the fittest. The same prevails on the forest periphery. Domestic animals on the periphery, too, are struggling for survival. Foresters are striving to save the green patches, while people in the periphery are striving to save cattle, agricultural fields, and themselves.

The recent death of a nine-year-old tigress and her four one-year-old cubs due to poisoning in Hoogyam Range in Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary (MM Hills) is an outcome of this battle for survival, and an alarm call of more such conflicts to come. Farmers had laced an animal carcass with banned and regulated chemicals—phorate and carbofuran—to settle scores with the forest department and kill the tigers that had hunted their cattle in the past.

"This not only shows that the forest department is unable to instill confidence among locals residing in the periphery, but are also unable to protect a breeding female and her cubs. It shows locals have lost trust and confidence in the forest department for due compensation," says an expert in man-animal conflict.

Experts point out that this incident—like similar ones earlier—has opened a can of worms for the forest department. They also stressed the governance challenges. "Three people were arrested. The Assistant Conservator of Forests and Range Forest Officer were suspended. The Deputy Conservator of Forests has been recommended for suspension in MM Hills. But the unanswered question is: why does the department continue to deploy officials who face multiple charges, especially dereliction of duty? This reflects poor leadership," says an expert working closely with the department.