Dampa tiger reserve

Guwahati, July 29: It is the daily wage earners who are protecting the tigers in Mizoram’s Dampa tiger reserve despite their meagre pay.

These workers do most of the legwork to save the big cats. “This is a sorry situation as daily wage earners are the ones protecting the tigers. We do not know when the situation will improve,” Laltlanhlua Zathang, field director of the tiger reserve, told The Telegraph on Global Tiger Day today. “But, I must say these daily wagers have been a dedicated lot and worked to the best of their abilities,” he added.

The 170 daily wagers are paid by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The manpower situation in the reserve is also poor since there are only 12 full-time staff members, including the field director. Some of the employees are on leave, according to sources and this made the actual full-time working staff numbers as just six.

Sources said the state government has not been able to provide more workers, leading to the sorry situation.

Global Tiger Day was established in 2010 at the St Petersburg Tiger Summit when tiger range countries declared their aim to double tiger numbers in the wild by 2022. The day is observed to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitat of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.

In a related development, a study conducted by Aaranyak, a Guwahati-based wildlife NGO, has found two tigers in Dampa.

In the study carried out in January, DNA analysis of tiger scats confirmed the presence of two tigers, down from the three recorded in 2012. The carnivore scats were collected during the tiger census conducted by the field directorate of the reserve.

DNA analysis is non-invasive genetic sampling, which provides ways of confirming the presence and estimating the population of elusive species such as tiger. “These tools are especially useful in areas of low population density and mountainous terrain,” said the head of the wildlife genetics programme of Aaranyak, Udayan Borthakur.

DNA analysis of tiger scats has till date been done in Namdapha (Arunachal), Dampa (Mizoram), Manas (Assam), Buxa in West Bengal and Palamau in Jharkhand. Pakke in Arunachal Pradesh has also come under its ambit now.

The DNA analysis was carried out at the wildlife genetics laboratory of Aaranyak on the request of the NTCA.

The NTCA has categorised Dampha as one of the low-density tiger reserves, with a deficiency of data on the current population status of tigers in the area for which DNA analysis had been advised.

Borthakur said the analysis of 54 carnivore scats identified the presence of two genuine tiger samples belonging to two different tigers in the reserve.

The genuine tiger scat samples were further analysed in the laboratory in order to confirm a tiger’s individual and gender identity, thereby confirming the minimum number of tigers present.

The location of one of the tigers was close to the Bangladesh border, according to the study.

Zathang said, “The two tigers are different from the three found in 2012. The terrain is very rugged in Dampa but we are trying our best to improve the situation.

Dampa, declared a tiger reserve in 1994, is spread over 550 square km and shares a 127km border with Bangladesh.

The NTCA has approved Rs 196.50 lakh to the reserve in 2014-15 on their annual plan of operations, of which Rs 77.89 lakh has been sanctioned.

The amount includes assistance for protection, research and equipment, amenities to field staff and compensation for livestock, among others.