Naman Devdaksh (12) is a student of class 8 at Sanskriti School, New Delhi. The outdoors interests him and he has a deep love for nature, whose quietness he enjoys. He can identify several birds, many of whom he feeds daily in his backyard. He has traveled with his family to remote parts of the country. In his account above he has tried to see the jungles of Corbett tiger reserve ‘through the eyes of a tiger’ residing in it.
Volunteers of the month
`BUZO THE TIGER`
The jungle is different at this time of the evening. Only the sounds of the nocturnal wildlife can be heard. As I move stealthily suddenly I hear the langoors calling, alarming my prey that I’m nearby. Another hunt goes unsuccessful. Let me introduce myself before I proceed with the rest of my story. I am `BUZO’ a tiger living in the forests of the Corbett National Park. I have an orange skin with black stripes and white markings on it. My meal is mostly deer and I can eat up to 40 kg of meat at a time. I occasionally eat wild pigs. We tigers are the largest members of the cat family.
Sadly, our numbers are depleting since the poachers have killed many of my extended family. I am told they mainly use our skin and bones to make traditional Chinese medicines. Thanks to the Project Tiger, a conservation project launched in 1973 by the Government of India with support from WWF, a large number of forest areas were set aside as Tiger Reserves, for us to live in peace and harmony. It was launched on 1st April 1973, here in Corbett National Park and included 9 tiger reserves across India, covering an area of 16,339 sq. km. then holding a population of 268 tigers. Since then, more Reserves were added and our numbers showed good recovery, till we were hit by a major poaching crisis in the 1990s. Recently, there has been a renewed focus on our conservation and our numbers, which had fallen to a mean estimate of 1411 in 2008, have shown some recovery to 1706 in 2011. Today, there are 39 Tiger Reserves across the country.
My family has lived in the Corbett National Park since ages and we have witnessed many changes along the way. There is more pressure now to take away forest land for human use. More people now enter the forest to collect various forest products or to remove timber. They build roads or railway lines across our homes or submerge it by building dams across rivers.
Sometimes poachers also come to kill us using snares, traps or guns. Our natural prey such as deer is also killed, leaving us with little to eat and sometimes forcing us to feed on cattle.
You may know us as beautiful animals. but you should also know that by killing us the eco system of the forest is disturbed. We also symbolise the health of the forest we live in. By protecting us, you also protect the forest and the various other creatures that inhabit it along with me. Of course you do know that forests are vital to your well being also as they provide various eco system services including fresh air and soil and water conservation. Many rivers originate and pass through the forests we live in and these are an important source of support for people.
Some of you may feel that Project Tiger is not a success. This is said because of the sharp fall in tiger population over the past few years. However, we are still around largely because this Project has brought attention to our plight and arranged for more areas to be set-aside for us to live in. In fact the only places where we are doing well today are such Tiger Reserves while many of our brethren living outside have slowly vanished. Occasional failures have occurred mostly because of poaching – in Sariska, for instance, the poachers killed all the tigers. Forest guards who work to protect me often are poorly equipped and work under very difficult conditions. You must strengthen their hands, so that they can protect me and my habitat better.
In India, generally, people have respected and loved me. I am an important symbol of power and might. Goddess Durga and Lord Shiva rode on my ancestors and I am also the national animal. The famous hunter Jim Corbett wrote stories on my ancestors and William Blake, an English poet, wrote a famous poem on me.
I certainly inspire people, which is why you come in large numbers to my home to try and catch a glimpse of me. Sometimes, some of the tourists behave irresponsibly, not following rules and creating noise or littering the forest floor, which is my home. How would you react if a guest in your house created nuisance and disturbed you?
I do hope this autobiography inspires you to help protect my home and me. I welcome you to my abode.
Sadly, our numbers are depleting since the poachers have killed many of my extended family. I am told they mainly use our skin and bones to make traditional Chinese medicines. Thanks to the Project Tiger, a conservation project launched in 1973 by the Government of India with support from WWF, a large number of forest areas were set aside as Tiger Reserves, for us to live in peace and harmony. It was launched on 1st April 1973, here in Corbett National Park and included 9 tiger reserves across India, covering an area of 16,339 sq. km. then holding a population of 268 tigers. Since then, more Reserves were added and our numbers showed good recovery, till we were hit by a major poaching crisis in the 1990s. Recently, there has been a renewed focus on our conservation and our numbers, which had fallen to a mean estimate of 1411 in 2008, have shown some recovery to 1706 in 2011. Today, there are 39 Tiger Reserves across the country.
My family has lived in the Corbett National Park since ages and we have witnessed many changes along the way. There is more pressure now to take away forest land for human use. More people now enter the forest to collect various forest products or to remove timber. They build roads or railway lines across our homes or submerge it by building dams across rivers.
Sometimes poachers also come to kill us using snares, traps or guns. Our natural prey such as deer is also killed, leaving us with little to eat and sometimes forcing us to feed on cattle.
You may know us as beautiful animals. but you should also know that by killing us the eco system of the forest is disturbed. We also symbolise the health of the forest we live in. By protecting us, you also protect the forest and the various other creatures that inhabit it along with me. Of course you do know that forests are vital to your well being also as they provide various eco system services including fresh air and soil and water conservation. Many rivers originate and pass through the forests we live in and these are an important source of support for people.
Some of you may feel that Project Tiger is not a success. This is said because of the sharp fall in tiger population over the past few years. However, we are still around largely because this Project has brought attention to our plight and arranged for more areas to be set-aside for us to live in. In fact the only places where we are doing well today are such Tiger Reserves while many of our brethren living outside have slowly vanished. Occasional failures have occurred mostly because of poaching – in Sariska, for instance, the poachers killed all the tigers. Forest guards who work to protect me often are poorly equipped and work under very difficult conditions. You must strengthen their hands, so that they can protect me and my habitat better.
In India, generally, people have respected and loved me. I am an important symbol of power and might. Goddess Durga and Lord Shiva rode on my ancestors and I am also the national animal. The famous hunter Jim Corbett wrote stories on my ancestors and William Blake, an English poet, wrote a famous poem on me.
I certainly inspire people, which is why you come in large numbers to my home to try and catch a glimpse of me. Sometimes, some of the tourists behave irresponsibly, not following rules and creating noise or littering the forest floor, which is my home. How would you react if a guest in your house created nuisance and disturbed you?
I do hope this autobiography inspires you to help protect my home and me. I welcome you to my abode.
Tiger