A couple of days ago TOI reported on its front page that Andhra CM’s copter went missing in the “naxal & tiger-infested” Nallamalla forests. This same sentiment has been blatantly echoed across most media without even a thought about its veracity.
Firstly, I do not need to be a wildlife expert to understand that humans and wildlife cannot exist together….especially when it’s the gun-toting and ruthless kind of humans. So one simply cannot say ‘naxal & tiger infested’ in the same breath. In 2004, I had visited Srisailem, the pilgrimage site and we had passed through the some parts of the dense but dry forests of this region. NSTR (Nagarjunsagar Srisailem Tiger Reserve) is spread over 3568sqkms region in the Nallamalla hills and in 2004 it was totally out of bounds for the tourists then as it is now. The reason being, that the forests were infested with Naxals at their peak of subversive activity. Nobody talked about the condition of the wildlife then. By 2006, the confrontation between the Naxals and the Greyhounds were in full-swing and the tigers and rest of the wildlife had retreated far inside the forest. Now, most of the Naxalite groups have moved away from this region to other neighboring region due to this operation. Now this region, I should say, is ‘infested’ with villagers and their cattle.
Secondly, if the forests were really ‘infested’ with tigers as the media announced, then we really shouldn’t be worried about the declining tiger population in the largest reserve of the country. This reserve considered the last bastion for the tigers have only 60 tigers as per the census of May 2009. The census as we all know is done by the archaic and unscientific method of pug mark counting. Our experiences in other national parks and tiger reserves have shown that the actual numbers can be much much less that what this method usually throws up. So, in an area which is as large as 3568sqkms, a tiger population of less than 60 tigers is considered ‘being infested’.
This is the reality of the story told by media which now-a-days is based purely on sensationalism. This coupled with corrupt politicians can only bring anarchy in the future. The truth, it seems is getting more and more difficult to find.
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3 comments:
It's rather odd to say forests are "infested" with tigers anyway! Considering that to "infest" means
"To inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious," or "to live as a parasite in or on." And you're quite right about tigers and humans, Naxalites in particular, not being able to exist together. It has been pointed out that Naxalites fund their movement through the timber and wildlife trade.
I just chukled to myself when i read this headline. Is it just plain ignorance or writers know majority of their audiance are anyways less informed
Thats exactly the point rajashree....they dont check the words they use...bcoz they just want to hype up something else.
Kirti...i think its both. and i am still so angry.
BM
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