Tigers : The Territorial wars: Are they natural?

A 10 month old wounded tiger was recently found dead in the Pench tiger reserve, MP. In the absence of adequate area due to deforestation, such deaths due to territorial fights between tigers are increasingly becoming common.

Every ecosystem has a fixed limitation on the maximum number of inhabitants it can support, which is what we technically call its "carrying capacity".

Even though territorial fights are common among animals, and more so for highly territorial species like the tiger who keep on scent marking their territory and roam its periphery regularly, checking for any intrusions. (See the Sukhnidhey Films documentary  Sariska: A Reserve Reborn:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=295WJioXujE

to watch this territorial behavior of tigers spraying urine to mark their territories!)

When the number of inhabitants exceeds the carrying capacity of the ecosystem, such fights become more common and no longer remain a natural phenomenon, being induced by human influences such as deforestation which reduces area of the forests that form the tiger habitat. The neighbour tigers come frequently in contact with each other and engage in fierce battles at much larger a rate than occurs naturally.

Of course we cannot intervene and prevent these fierce territorial fights which claim many lives (more so of the weaker competitors- the younger tigers)  , but we sure can relocate villages and bring more area under the reserves to provide sufficient isolation between neighbouring territories, leading to fewer, natural territorial fights.

SARISKA: A RESERVE, REBORN

Sariska: A Reserve Reborn is a magical journey to the tiger land

The Sariska National Park in Rajsthan, India, was once famous worldwide for its large population of tigers. However, rampant poaching wiped away every single tiger from this reserve, critically disturbing the jungle ecosystem, and in addition, giving a heavy blow to tourism.

In 2008, Sariska saw the implementaion of the first tiger relocation project in the world, whereby tigers were relocated from Ranthambore national park to Sariska. With the relocation came another hope to people all over the world, that the beautiful jungle might revive. However, in 2010 came another blow when one of the relocated males was poisoned to death. Now, there are 4 tigers, 1 male and 3 females in the reserve.

Sariska: A Reserve Reborn captures the rich biodiversity of the Sariska National Park, portraying the rich bird life, the Golden Jackals, the wild Hare, the Chitals (spotted deer), and most importantly- the King of them all- the Royal Bengal Tiger. The only male tiger in the forest, ST-4 gives the viewers an  enchanting  sight into its everyday life. Its territorial behavior, wherein it is seen scent marking and spraying urine in its territory, is seen. Some extremely rarely seen shots of the tiger blowing away water drops from its face and resting in a mud puddle under the hot summer sun are revealed. The film offers the viewers an insight into the behavior and life of relocated tigers.

Furthermore, the splendid courtship feather display dance of the Indian male Peafowls, flaunting their iridescent feathers is seen, as is the action packed dramatic fight of two young male deer, smashing their antlers against those of their opponent.

Sariska: A Reserve Reborn is the incredible journey to the land of Sariska, rich in its flora and fauna, which also aims at revivng tourism in the reserve, which suffered a heavy blow when all the tigers were exterminated.
This is the story of a reserve, which is magically reborn, when her King returns.

YOU MAY HAVE MISSED ME, BUT I SAW YOU!

Photograph: A spotted owl looking intently at me.  Many animals we search for may go unnoticed in the thicknes of the forest, but we never remain unnoticed by any of our animal hosts in the jungle.  

Photographed near Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.

When I was very small and visited some tiger reserve, I would hear my parents say, "There see, that's an Indian Roller perched upon that log!" , "See that beautiful baby monkey in its mother's arms!", "Oh! A wonderful herd of Cheetal there!". But I would not be much fascinated. What my eyes really searched for was the supreme lord of the jungle- the apex predator- the paramount power- the Tiger. And on many visits the Tiger would not reveal itself to us, making the whole safari of little worth to me.

As I grew up and learnt more about the jungle- the ecosystems and the inter-relationships between the animals, I realised no animal is complete in itself. It heavily depends on many other plant and animal species. It was then that I started appreciating the sights of the other most wonderful denizens of the Indian forest: the Macaques, the Cheetals, the beautiful birds, the Monitor lizards. Every organism you see when you enter the jungle has been carefully engineered by God and assigned an irreplaceble place in the food web. 

The Tiger, of course, remains an enchanting sight, but it is rare to experience this majestic phenomenon in its full splendour, in its full glory. I once saw a board in the Bandhavgarh Tiger reserve which portrayed a tiger saying: "Don't be dissapointed if you couldn't see me, I saw you!". So the next time, dear wildlife lover, you visit a reserve, be watchful of the many splendid designs of nature scattered all around you. And who knows, the Panthera tigris tigris might be considerate enough to give you a glimpse of a lifetime!

Devaang Jain

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