POACHERS' TARGET: There are 37 tigers in the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary, according to the 2006 census. — File photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

CHAMARAJANAGAR: The death of a six-year-old tigress pregnant with six cubs in Biligiriranga Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary in 2006 and the recent poisoning of a tiger in the Punjanur forest limits have alarmed animal lovers and conservationists. The CID Forest Cell police arrested Muthappa of Chikka Alathur village in Kollegal taluk and recovered the skin of the poisoned tiger. There is a growing feeling that tigers are not safe in the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary and the Bandipur National Park. Conservationists want the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar district declared a tiger reserve to protect the animals' habitat.

Poachers active

With the demand for animal skins and body parts increasing in the international market, poachers are killing tigers, leopards, spotted deer and elephants in forests in South India. The seizure of tiger, leopard and other animal skins and body parts in Hanur and Kollegal police station limits in the past two years have confirmed that poachers are active in the district. The death of the brigand Veerappan in an encounter with the Special Task Force has encouraged other poachers to enter the forests adjoining the BRT Sanctuary, MM Hills, Satyamangalam and Bandipur. Veerappan's presence in the area had kept the carnivorous animals in the forests relatively safe.

The BRT Sanctuary is spread over 583 sq. km and is home to tigers, leopards, chitals, dholes and other animals. It is the only wildlife sanctuary in this region where the concept of buffer zone, tourist zone and core zone has been maintained by the Forest Department.

The faecal/scat samples collected by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, during the tiger census in 2006 showed that there were around 37 tigers in the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary. Now, the growing demand for resumption of granite quarrying in areas around the BRT Sanctuary and the adjoining Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanakapura could prove a threat to tiger conservation efforts in the Chamarajanagar Wildlife Division. The frequent blasts in the quarries will force tigers to move away from core zone.

Centre yet to act

The Union Government is yet to act on a report submitted by the office of the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Chamarajanagar Wildlife Division, seeking tiger reserve status for the BRT Sanctuary and a ban on quarrying up to 25 km from the periphery of the sanctuary. The Forest Department has listed 142 villages that lie within the peripheral area of the sanctuary where quarrying is totally restricted under the Wildlife Act.

For a healthy rise in the number of tigers, one animal requires a territory of at least 10 sq. km. It is in this context that the Chamarajanagar Wildlife Division says that the number of tigers in the BRT Sanctuary is comparatively high.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail