This story is from July 29, 2019

Roar-ing success: Tigers back in Vidarbha’s forest corridor as poachers turn protectors

Once die-hard teak smugglers, now tiger protectors - story of four villages in Zari-Zamni tehsil in the corridor of Tipeshwar wildlife sanctuary in Pandharkawda and Tadoba-Andhari (TATR) (Chandrapur) & Kawal tiger reserves (Telangana) is a model how communities can be driven to save tigers with small interventions
Roar-ing success: Tigers back in Vidarbha’s forest corridor as poachers turn protectors
The landless Kolam tribals may be struggling to make both ends meet but are very passionate about saving forest and tigers encircling their small hamlets
NAGPUR: Once die-hard teak smugglers, now tiger protectors - story of four villages in Zari-Zamni tehsil in the corridor of Tipeshwar wildlife sanctuary in Pandharkawda and Tadoba-Andhari (TATR) (Chandrapur) & Kawal tiger reserves (Telangana) is a model how communities can be driven to save tigers with small interventions.
The landless Kolam tribals may be struggling to make both ends meet but are very passionate about saving forest and tigers encircling their small hamlets.
For the last over a year, these tribals have safeguarded a tigress with four cubs by not allowing anyone to venture into the forest.
Four-five years ago, it was virtually a ‘jungle raj’ in Zari-Zamni forest with menfolk from at least 20-25 villages illegally felling standing teak trees and later smuggling finished poles carrying them on shoulders during night to neighbouring Telangana walking 20-25km by crossing the mighty Painganga river.
“After day-long labour, we used to get Rs 500 for one finished teak pole from carpenters in Telangana. On an average, daily at least 40 poles were smuggled out from my village. It may be even more as other villages were also involved. It was free for all and poaching of herbivores for bushmeat and extraction of forest resources was rampant. We used to spend entire money in gambling and drinking,” admits Kisan Meshram (42), who had offences registered against him for felling but he has now turned tiger saviour.
In 2013, forest officials had registered 28 preliminary offences (PORs) and 72 in 2014 against illicit felling. “In 2013, it was my first posting in Zamni and the terror of local mafia was to an extent that forest guards were not allowed to enter their own territory. Even meetings with villagers was futile exercise. It was only after our aggressiveness and providing alternative livelihood options, illicit felling was brought to zero,” said then Zamni RFO Yashwant Nagulwar.

Forest guard Ashwin Rathod, who seems to be real guardian of the tiger family, recalls, “I first saw the tigress and her five-month-old four cubs in April 2018. I panicked as perennial water sources were getting dry and the tigress could have left the area when I informed deputy conservator (DyCF) KM Abharna, who at once allocated Rs 3.72 lakh for a solar water hole. A cement saucer was built in a single day and the next day tigress started using it. A tall machan adjacent to the saucer has been built to monitor movement as cubs frequently damaged and chewed camera traps.”
“Though illicit felling had stopped since 2015, safety of tigress and cubs was still a concern as locals entered forest with cattle and there was too much interference. So, as a strategy, I decided to rope in four strong men among them as chowkidars on fixed remuneration. Poachers can be biggest source of information. I successfully experimented this during my posting in Kaziranga (Assam),” says Abharna.
“Four years ago, there was just passing reference about tigers in this forest, but in 2018, the tigress, now chronicled as T3, not only made the 300-hectare forest its home but also delivered cubs. Entire forest has turned dense and resembles like a tiger reserve area after illicit felling stopped and human presence has been eliminated,” says Abharna.
TOI found that small interventions like creating awareness, distribution of LPG, paying speedy cattle kill compensation, providing solar lights on periphery of villages adjoining forest, jobs to women at a nursery under MGREGS, fencing to houses vulnerable to wildlife movement etc have paid off.
Then there are poacher-turned tiger saviours like Pothiram Dadange, Vilas Kumre and Raju Meshram, who go whole hog to appeal to the locals not to lay snares or power farm fences to electrocute animals. Many landless locals work as farm labourers to eke out a living.
“In bid to give self-employment, we have planned driving training to 15 youths. Funds are also being pulled from NTCA’s centrally sponsored scheme (CSS) for the area. We propose to pass benefits of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Jan Van Vikas Yojana to the forested villages in Zari-Zamni. At the same time, we have also sent a proposal to radio-collar the cubs to study man-animal conflict and corridors,” says Abharna.
“We also appeal to the people not to ignite forest fires, which was earlier a practice to extract mahua. Two years ago, when a couple saw small fire in the forest, they were mad to extinguish it. Zero tolerance on forest fires has increased forest regeneration and tree density. Prey base has gone up. People also don’t collect chindi plants from which brooms are prepared,” Kumre says.
Belampalli veteran Rambhau Meshram is happy that tigers have made forest near village their home. “We do not allow any vehicle to enter forest unless accompanied by staff. In case of death of any villager, we don’t even fell trees but collect dead wood near forest for pyre,” he says.
Rathod, who is committed to saving tigers in his area, is overwhelmed by both people and officials support. He doesn’t forget to make a mention how locals do not even protest if their cattle are preyed by the tiger family. “There have been 6 cattle kills in last one month in Mandvi area but there were no protests. Farmers themselves inform us about cattle kills and moreover, at times if a tiger is sighted in a jowar field, they refrain from entering instead of protesting or making noise,” remarks Rathod.
Rathod is so deeply involved with the tiger family that he has named his daughter as Banni, the mother tigress. Her other cubs though are being chronicled, locals fondly call the two male cubs as Sibba and Rangila and their sisters as Aatma and Rani. While the grown-up cubs may move in search of new territories, Banni is said to be pregnant again. Hope the success story is repeated!
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