Death of Tigress at Bandhavgarh National Park

That's devastating news - how terrible and what a loss. I wonder if they will reveal what happened and why.

Thanks for letting us know Doogs.

Lai

Doogs that is very upsetting news. I remember reading a post on Jonathans blog on 1st May about Tigers & Tourism . A journalist reported from Mumbai that the Ministry of the Environment was going to begin phasing out tourism as it was impacting negatively on the cats. This has since been refuted by the authorites.
A reporter wrote an article that set out the impact of tourism and the imapct it could have if it was stopped, he puts across both sides very well but it then remains at the end of it the old saying of "We are damned if we do and we are damned if we don't".
It is such a tough call on what to do and the effect that tourism is having on the cats and the effect it could potentially have if they stop the tourism.
Here is the letter that was posted on Jonathans Blog.
Sir,

The attempt to present wildlife tourism as a major threat to tigers or wildlife (Tourism ban to save Bengal tiger from being loved to extinction – April 28, 2010) is perverse and deeply wrong-headed. It is in reality an attempt to use the symptom to mask the disease. The disease being the failure – despite repeated warnings and requests – on the part of the federal and various state governments in India to create a sound and coherent policy on wildlife tourism. A policy that would recognise the benefits as well as dangers of tourism and from which would flow the regulatory mechanism that would enhance and re-enforce the benefits while mitigating the excesses. The potential dangers of this policy and regulatory vacuum were recognised by the mid-1980’s and expressed in articles, letters and memoranda to government – to no avail and tourism was allowed to proliferate unregulated. In any unregulated business landscape there will be excesses and irresponsible behaviour and now that it has reached an extreme in some parks – the authorities who should shoulder an equal share of the blame are cleverly deflecting it exclusively to the wildlife tourism industry – and penalising it! The politicians, journalists and public who are uncritically swallowing this line are guilty of deeply fuddled thinking – as your article demonstrates. The writer misleadingly juxtaposes two unrelated facts: that Corbett National Park has high visitor numbers and that there were 4 tiger deaths implying that tourism was somehow responsible. The fact is that it was because of tourists, guides, drivers etc that the whole story of these 4 tiger deaths reached the public – not via the park management. Your article also details the value of a poached tiger. The only way to counter that is to ensure that a live tiger is worth more. Is there any other economic activity other than well-regulated tourism that can deliver this?

The fallacy that tourism endangers tigers is further contradicted by the facts on the ground: Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Corbett, Ranthambhore, Nagarhole, Bandipur, Mudumalai, Kaziranga – all parks with high visitor numbers have thriving tiger populations. Two reserves with high tourist numbers that lost tigers were Panna and Sariska – where the managements fudged numbers even when the tigers had disappeared and it was in part the local tourism industry (normally intimidated into silence for fear of vindictive retribution) that blew the whistle. Does one hear of any tiger fatalities in the bulk of ‘non-tourist’ tiger reserves? Rarely, because many of them hardly have any tigers left to kill and in any case there is no one there to oversee the management and leak the news to the press.

And finally — here’s the thing that this tourist exclusion policy fails to consider: the tiger reserves of India are public property paid for by the tax-payer who, by this policy of exclusion will be denied to see the very thing his or her money is paying to protect, for remember the great bulk of visitors to India’s reserves are Indian and not foreign. And when the wildlife tourism industry withers in the stony scrublands of cattle ravaged buffer zones leaving hundreds of jobless locals looking for any alternative income will the tiger with its $50,000 price tag – dead – suddenly be rendered safer?

Hashim Tyabji
ex-Honorary Wildlife Warden,
Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Thats devastating news, and what a shame with 3 cubs as well. I remember the news with the cub being run over. If I remember right it was one of the owners of the reserve who did it and he was arrested,but what happened next I dont know. Thanks for passing that on Doogs
WS

Doogs i guess the tiger in this story is Mohini...not sure,but her case was similar

Mohini is the daughter of legendary charger and Sita in bandhavgarh national park,MP...she was hit by a safari jeep and she got separated from her three cubs...she later died of injuries..

this is one sad part of safaris..especially the night safaris..tiger is nocturnal and their camouflage make it difficult to spot them in dark....

Mohini is one of the victims of this..such similar stories is definitely gonna put a negative impact on Indian Tourism

Tragic when there are so few of these magnificent animals.

Lai

i know Lai....the ones who suffer the most will be her cubs

Doogs - it was just unforgivable

Lai