Animal Corridors, Movement & Range Expansion

[Ashutosh]

There is a big debate ongoing in the conservation circles in India regarding the tigers living outside protected reserve especially in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra which officially has about 160 tigers (unofficially it’s close to 220). While Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is home to about 100 tigers, the district has another 70 living outside the reserve, some even estimate this figure to be 100-120.

There is a growing clamour to relocate these tigers to other protected landscapes. Chandrapur every year sees about 25 deaths and hundreds of livestock killed because of these tigers. Most of them are attuned to living with humans and pose no threat, but the tolerance is running low partly exacerbated by red tapism of govt. and slow payment of compensation.

There are some wildlife activists who are pro-translocation as they see it as a chance to populate other better landscapes and reduce the potential man-animal conflict in this one particular area. 

Activists opposed to this move say that translocating won’t matter as new tigers will take the place of old ones and it is observed that when translocated tigers don’t settle well in their new environment, they will cause new conflict elsewhere. Rather one should focus on improving corridors which have been fragmented.


https://www.news18.com/news/india/translocation-of-tigers-to-minimise-human-animal-conflict-in-maharashtra-not-a-long-term-solution-2697915.html

This is such a delicate issue. Ideally, I agree with activists against the move, but, I don’t live there, so that always takes away from my point. But, realistically, the govt. should relocate these tigers (which will require NTCA to change their policy as they don’t translocate tigers who are no threat to humans) living on the fringes, but they need the medium to long term plan of developing corridors so that the scenario of new tigers replacing the translocated ones doesn't come to pass.
I am a tiny bit happy as well, not because this is a good problem to have, but, it’s a better problem than having to stave off extinction of tigers. Reply