India’s efforts towards conservation of tigers has been very successful. According to recent reports, India now has 51 tiger reserves consisting of at least 3,000 tigers. More and more Indians flock towards safari parks to marvel at these wondrous creatures and other forms of wildlife. Nature lovers are waiting impatiently to finally be amidst the beautiful places on Earth that they call their home.
On June 7, however, the National Tiger Conservation Authority(NTCA), sent out a circular to the chief wildlife wardens of all the tiger range states. The recent case of a lioness, suspected to have died of Covid-19 infection, got the authorities on alert. There were warnings of high rates of transmission of this virus from affected human beings to captive wild animals. Hence, the authorities stated that tiger reserves needed to be closed for tourism activities until further orders. The intentions of the NTCA was understandable, however, we need to address this issue in a wider perspective.
Tiger reserves in Karnataka which normally remain open throughout the year, were closed for almost two months in the brutal second wave. They are currently gearing up to reopen as soon as possible. Government and civil society organizations have used the lockdown time to treat, educate, test and wherever possible, to vaccinate the communities around the park-forest officials, staff or tribal communities.
As for the tourists, the sad truth is that safari holidays are mainly for the urban and elite people who can afford it, and it is safe to assume that they have been vaccinated. This will further more reduce the risk of infection. Also, the risk of infection hasn’t been determined yet, and the risk of death due to infection is not even under speculation.
Let us assume we open up the wildlife parks for the public. Most of the tourists are going to travel by jeeps, and hence be at a safe distance from all the animals in that region, and that too in an open space, which makes it safer. Tourists are going to be wearing masks at all times and practice social distancing just like normal times. Hence, forest authorities should really contemplate the decision to keep the parks shut.
The wildlife tourism is an important aspect of generation of revenue in the states, and is a source of income for many people. Lakhs of livelihoods around these reserves are in peril, and the impact of a prolonged lockdown will be very severe. Hence a cost-benefit analysis needs to be carried out to ensure the decisions taken by the forest authorities are also in favor of the people depending upon wildlife tourism as a way to earn their daily bread.
Lakhs of tribal people live close to or inside these parks and have the right to collect forest produce. It is not possible to exclude them from the forests that they have helped conserve. Instead of imposing a blanket ban on all wildlife reserves, situation specific steps must be taken to tackle this situation.
New non-invasive and bio-safe protocols must be implemented for wildlife surveillance and species monitoring. Early warning systems must be kept in place to immediately pin point the area of danger for the animals or point of contact between humans and animals or the animals and the outside world. There are many environmental organizations that, when given the chance, will surely be eager to help out the authorities and the government in these endeavors.
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