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A predator par excellence, a tiger possesses strong jaw muscles, robust canine teeth and a powerful forearm. It is also endowed with qualities of a successful predator-like ability to camouflage, secretly stalk its prey and agility to attack. Adaptive in nature, the tiger, can live in diverse habitats. It can be found in the Himalayas as well as in the grassy swamps of Terai, in dry deciduous jungles as well as evergreen forests. Except Punjab, Kutch and Sindh, it is found in all other parts of the country and in small numbers in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. In addition to the Indian species called Panthera tigris, it has six sub-species known as Chinese, Indo-Chinese, Siberian, Javan and Sumatran. Measuring 10 ft from nose to the tip of the tail, the male tiger is 3 ft high at shoulder level, has 14¼ inch-long skull and weighs 180 to 230 kg. The female of the species is smaller and lighter. The Himalayan tiger is bigger than its counterpart in central and southern India. Its rich colour and striped body enables it to merge itself inconspicuously with the surroundings. The broken transverse stripes on the body vary in length and width. The limbs have horizontal stripes, the tail is decorated with rings and the face with dots and dashes. The length of its fur varies according to the season — shorter in summer and longer in winter. Endowed with an acute sense of hearing, it can easily distinguish between the sounds created by the species of its prey. A solitary animal, a tiger and a tigress live together only from the mating period till the cubs are born. A tigress gives birth to two to three cubs after a gestation period of four months. The mother looks after the cubs till they are two years old. The average life of a tiger is about 20 years. It becomes sexually mature at the age of four whereas the tigress becomes so at three. There has been a marginal decline in the population of tigers, the major reason for the same being human interference with the eco-system. Man played havoc with this magnificent animal with its three-pronged attack — destroying its habitat by cutting forests and reducing the area for grazing cattle; reducing the number of its prey species by poaching; and killing of all wild animals for sportand trade. While an estimate found that about 40,000 tigers lived in India around the beginning of the 20th century, only 1827 were found alive in 1972 when the first tiger census was conducted. Tiger hunting was banned in 1970. The Wildlife Protection Act came into force in 1972. To save this national animal from extinction, the Government of India launched "Project Tiger" in 1972, earmarking nine reserves with a total population of 268 tigers. According to 2001-02 census, it stood at 895 in these reserves. A total of 1576 tigers roam in the present day 27 reserves. The total tiger population in the country now stands at 3642. Under the chairmanship of Dr Karan Singh, the then Union Cabinet Minister, the project was launched at Corbett National Park on April 1, 1973. Kailash Sankhala, a member of the task force that prepared the draft plan and set up Project Tiger, was entrusted with the task of implementing the project for the first three years. The World Wildlife Fund too played a significant role in this venture, creating an effective publicity campaign and sending an appeal to the international community. Technology has placed better management tools at the disposal of conservationists. Wireless communication system, patrol camps, preventive and control measures for forest fires, village relocation, control of livestock grazing, and provision of more water for growth of vegetation, thereby increasing the population of prey species of tiger has been helpful in preserving this cat. It is important to save the tiger to maintain the equilibrium of the ecosystem. It is also important to increase the population of its prey species, which largely comprise different kinds of deer. Advancement in information
technology and Computers are an asset in effectively implementing
Project Tiger. But however advanced technology is available, dedicated
and committed manpower remains vital for success of any project. |
