FADING TRAILS: TIGER TALES OUT OF FOREST PEOPLE'S SKILL

by Lala Aswini Kumar Singh

It is the first-person account by a lifetime researcher who spent more than forty-seven years in the wetlands and forests surrounding the Mahanadi, Chambal and Similipal in India. As a crocodile researcher, and once a critic, the author Aswini Kumar learnt and improved the art and science of pugmark tracking. It is a forest people's skill. They use it traditionally with pet dogs for pursuing herbivores during leisure time shikar expeditions. They still use it, unnoticed by the forest protection forces. Aswini got posted as Research Officer in Similipal Tiger Reserve and continuously worked there for sixteen years. He improved and used the tracking method with grass root staff and predicted imminent crash of the tiger population in Similipal by 2008, as the tiger numbers had stagnated around 1995 and carrying capacity was in threat. In 1972 the people's skill was used by SR Choudhury to estimate the tiger population of India. It gave directions for nationwide Project Tiger the next year. After Choudhury’s demise in 1982, while complying to his big-boss for a two-page note, Aswini brought improvements in the 1990s. The technique grew to a robust science. It got vetted by neighbouring countries, the Wildlife Institute and the WWF-India Tiger Conservation Programme. From pugmarks, Aswini learnt the way of life linked to birth and death, formation of and breaking away of tiger family bonds, the structure and spatial disposition of tiger-leopard, male-female-cub, front-hind and left-right. On drawing the working plan maps for the jungle king’s movement areas, he knew the closeness and the process of separation revealed in size classes. Young cubs accompanying mother move out on territory exploration and mother comes close to an adult male for next breeding. Aswini narrates about how he traced the history of a dead tiger in Putulidiha of south Similipal, and an old female disappearing from tracking lenses in three sequential monitoring seasons. The territory of a king of the jungle seldom remains vacant. Pugmarks were able to trace a tigress that killed Sriram Dehury of Jenabil in central Similipal, and a kill was there in Ramjodi of western face. WWF felicitated Aswini for innovative contributions. Leopards were taking over territories vacated by tigers. Tigers were moving southward from the reserve to new areas. Native people and grass root staff who participated in setting up census beats, machans and routes lost ownership of their tiger when gadgets came in. The project launched in 1973 had nine reserves in nine states across 16000 sq.km. Being a top carnivore, the tiger and its micro habitats responded quickly. By 1995-97 there were 41 tiger reserves in seventeen states covering 38000 sq.km. About 1498 tigers were inside the reserves and 2328 outside. The maps emerging from the tracking method were like tale telling mirrors, transparent on the wellness of the forest. The traditional skill, which grew to a science for better tiger conservation started fading out from 2006 with promotion of trip cameras in the field, and computer program with satellite images in analysis rooms. The science, that was simple, borne in the hearts of people is blurring away before sampling, statistics, and over 500 mathematical tigers out of 3000 in nature. Aswini brings his heart out through the story on fading trails of a forest people’s method- its origin, growth and halt because of modern science. Pushpa passed away in 2003 after severe malaria, wrong medicine and long sufferings inflicting ailments due multiple connective tissue. For better education to children the Government shifted Aswini to wildlife headquarters where he superannuated in 2010, but a researcher never retires or faces demise.

72 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2022

Reviews

[Lala Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story that unfolds how tiger foot prints have been tracked and analysed to know tigers' number, composition, biology and behaviour. Narrations are academic and adventurous autobiography told in simple language for anyone above 10+ years of age.