Tigers of Ranthambore & Western India Landscape

[Sanju]

How the return of the tiger can help save the Aravalis
Shilpy Arora | TNN | Jan 14, 2019, 08:06 IST

ST-5 went missing from Sariska Tiger Reserve in February 2018

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GURUGRAM: ST-5, the 11-year-old resident of Rajasthan’s Sariska Tiger Reserve, was always curious to explore new terrain. Aged three when brought here from Ranthambore, this shy and elusive tigress took part in big hunts but remained out of sight most of the time.

“Unlike other tigresses, who generally establish small territories, she wanted to claim new territories. Probably, that’s why she might have headed towards the Aravalis of South Haryana, which was once home of the majestic animal,” speculated a villager from Sariska, while a team from the reserve searched for ST-5 in the jungles of the Aravalis in this part of Haryana, though no sign of the big cat was found.

Meanwhile, male tigers, say experts, are solitary animals who eye large expanses. “Tigers will occupy a habitat if it helps them stay safe, and provides prey density, availability of water and an undisturbed area to roam in. They would simply follow their instinct to hide, hunt and claim a large area as home range, and would prefer an area where there are no other tigers to compete with for prey or home range,” explains Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS.

The last time the Aravalis of South Haryana was in the news for a tiger was nearly five decades ago, when one was killed by a poacher. But even though sightings reported by locals, on the last day of 2018, remained unverified, they still offered encouragement to the many who hope that this eco-fragile wilderness, where tigers once wandered, can be saved.

According to R P Balwan, former conservator of forests (South Haryana), there is recorded evidence of tigers in the Aravalis. “The leopard made its comeback in the Aravalis of South Haryana only after 2004-05, about four years after the implementation of a strict ban on mining activities. At that time, when we said the leopard had arrived, not everyone believed us,” he recalled. “I won’t be surprised if tigers make a comeback to reclaim their ancestral land in the Aravalis — it is still a potential tiger habitat.”

Activists rejoice at such a prospect, as they feel the presence of tigers can help save the under-threat range. “The Aravalis is a well-defined wildlife corridor from Sariska Tiger Reserve to Asola Bhatti Sanctuary (Delhi) — for wild animals, this corridor has been home for several centuries. The arrival of tigers calls for the protection of the entire area, and it should be declared a sanctuary,” advises Vivek Kamboj, an environmentalist who has been fighting a legal battle to safeguard the corridor.

And that these lands were once the haunt of tigers should be a matter of pride for its human inhabitants, says wildlife conservationist and author Prerna Singh Bindra. “Tigers in Sariska have been able to survive because of habitat protection, while they are largely wiped out from other parts of the Aravalis, as we have devastated and pillaged the habitat,” she points out. “Now, their survival in the Aravalis will depend not just on if there is sufficient prey and undisturbed habitat, but also if the government is willing to accept the responsibility this brings, and make it a safe refuge for the tiger.”

declare haryana aravalli reserve forestsdeepak pratap gangwar

While it is difficult to ascertain if ST-5 survived to reclaim her ancestral patch, the Aravalis certainly belong to her. For, by roaming freely on the outskirts of Gurugram (then a sleepy rural town) some 50 years ago, tigers helped preserve the region’s ecology. Sadly, urbanisation, poaching and mining led to their entire population vanishing.

The time is right for this regal species to return to these wilds, to assist in the revival of the degraded forests and intensify the fight to protect the Aravalis. “The wilderness will flourish as soon as the king is back, as existence of the apex predator ensures the well-being of the ecosystem,” assures Balwan.

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