Why in news?
The Supreme Court permitted the Maharashtra forest department to shoot a “man-eating” tigress recently.
What are the concerns raised against?
- Officials of the forest department have declared T1 a “man-eater” as the animal, along with her cubs, ate 60% of a human corpse.
- It was accused of killing more than a dozen people over the last two years.
- But it was argued that all the kills have taken place within designated forest areas or on their periphery.
- The Pantharkawada forest is home to spillover tigers from the nearby Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary.
- With rampant Human encroachment, contiguity of the habitat was disrupted.
- The forest has scant food for wild herbivores, hence it also multiplies the chances of man-animal conflict.
- There is heavy pressure of illegal grazing, with livestock consuming a huge proportion of the food and water meant for wildlife.
- Locals take cattle and goats “on contract” from rich owners to graze them illegally in the forest.
What should have been done?
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority protocols say that the human beings killed due to chance encounters may also be eaten by the animal.
- However, this is not sufficient for classifying a tiger as a man-eater, especially for an encumbered tigress supporting two cubs, in a low prey base area.
- Hence, the Forest Department appears to be apathetic towards the basic tenets of habitat management.
- Citing human and political pressure, wildlife coming into conflict situations is regularly eliminated.
- The court has observed that the directions for Standard Operating Procedure under Section 38(O) of Wildlife Protection Act are merely suggestive and not mandatory.
- It was also alleged that the forest department has already roped in a “sharp shooter” to kill the tigress, instead of first trying to tranquillise her.
- This case reveals that a distinction has to be made between a tigress killing a human and a habitual man-eater.
- Hence it is necessary to keep wild habitats safe for wildlife to ensure their long-term survival.
Source: The Hindu