THE NOBLE CATS
“(once )
Tigers , tigers were every where;
(now)
not a single one is to be found
even in the protected reserved forest of Alwar;
‘O’ you “TIGER EATERS’
you are the worst of carrion eaters
don’t these noble creatures
deserve to live on this planet earth.”
The sabre toothed tigers do not burn bright anymore in the jungles of India anymore. Their sabre tooth has not helped them survive in the face of onslaught of thirty two teeth two legged monster poachers. They are cowering in a few corners of jungles trying to escape the prying eyes of the above in humans
At the turn of the century they were more than forty thousand of these big cats in India But now in the entire Uttaranchal there are 241 In the famous Corbett Reserve Park -141, Rajaji National Park -24. The geographical area of Uttaranchal has 53,500 (app) kms of which 65% is under forest and only 13% in protected area.
Col. Edward James Corbett, popularly known as Jim Corbett , the famous hunter of ‘Man-eating tigers of Kumaon’ has described a Tiger as noble, large hearted, and magnificent animal. He hunted man eaters for thirty two years and has never said a bad word for these creatures. He has always analysed and explained the cause of turning a tiger in a man-eater, after hunting them.
Other famous hunters like Col. Kesri Singh, Messrs.Kenneth Anderson – Corbett of South India,
Billy Arjan Singh, Sher Jung and J.E.C. Turner, and Hugh Gantzer etc have all .described tiger as a beautiful
Big cat.
Tigers turn into man-eater due to human encroachment in their territory, or due to some injury which makes them incapable of hunting their favourite food, or injured by any gun happy amateur hunter. In fact they are denizens of deep and thick forest and shy of human contact. They are in habit of living alone except at the mating season .
It was the foolishness of Maharajas of yore and their friends pretending to be brave and daring hunters who employing every type of conceivable cunning heartlessly butchered these animals in hundreds to the point of extinction.
However, timely action taken under the ‘project tiger’ not only saved them from vanishing completely but allowed to multiply as well in some of the reserved forests.
Unfortunately due to callous neglect, greed of the poachers and lack of funds the tiger population has dwindled so much that non less than the Prime Minister of India has to intervene and personally monitor the position.
The tigers kill for food only and seldom deviate from their natural food. But what about the “TIGER – EATERS” in some of the Asian countries. They kill or have killed tigers and consume every centimetre of the tiger’s body either for food or medicine or charm– blind faith.
It is high time that more funds are raised to rehabilitate
relocate and provide protection to these noble animals,
Recently there was a programme on National Geographic
about a wild life photographer trying to raise and relocate two tiger cubs in Africa. Such praiseworthy steps are need of the hour. if we really want that the animal should survive and multiply.