Can We Save Our Tigers?

If Mahendra Sing Dhoni is to be taken seriously for once then only 1411 or so numbers of the said creature are roaming around India or rather in Indian Jungles, National Parks, Zoos, Cages of all those circuses that we have. Or is the number excluding the animals dancing around the fire ball on ring master's hunter noise, just to appease Tinku and Tinki?

Could there be a mistake on the part of our statistics team who took the pain in going around all those places which has got the remote possibility of having one of these beasts? Like any other government funded project, is there a possibility of basic mathematics going wrong here also? eventually ending with a far lesser number than we actually might be having. Thanks to the corruption and laziness everywhere. Finally there is one positive outcome from the corruption and laziness. The wild cat suddenly caught a lot of attention as the small number made many feel disturbed. Keeping aside the guys and their mathematics or the lack of it, if experts are to be consulted, then what ever may be the counting process and effort - we might not fetch more than 1700 wild cats at the maximum in India. Of course including all those appeasing Tinku and Tinki. Disturbing indeed.

Rather than concentrating on this disturbing statistics, Jairam Ramesh is busy annoying few Punjabis by announcing the non-inclusion of BT Brinjal in main food stream (Feel sorry for the Paratha - Baigan Bharta combination). Or fingering any developmental projects upside-down with his environment baton. The wild cats, least expected to be vegetarians have little or no interest in BT Brinjal or in Mr.Ramesh for sure. Either physically or with his antiques. I feel sorry for these poor tigers as nobody whose actions matter seems interested in them. Largely because none of them is quite aware of the repercussions of loosing our national animal completely. And secondly these poor creatures don't constitute any vote bank either. So who cares. One of the initiative to safeguard the extinction of tigers is to equip them with voting rites. Then I guess they would take precedence over BT Brinjal. Mr.Chawala, are you listening?

Corbet and Shimlipal are two of the biggest official tiger reserves in India along with a handful of the creature residing in Nandankanan zoo. Thanks to un-controlled poaching and the entry of politics into our jungles even, the two national parks are relieved with Tiger and left hanging only with the word reserve. The places are now reserved for picnickers and ministers wanting to cool their respective posteriors in PWD guest houses. Reserved to provide safe heaven for all those anti socials to carry out their nefarious activities. Reserved for movie shooting. Reserved for what not, but not for the tigers, for which it was reserved at the first place. The only losers other than the tigers in this whole shift of reservation are the Policewalas. No wonder they are not warming their pockets with gifts from the poachers of late but seen doing sundry stuffs for all those Sarkari babus who come to spend some time in the breath taking surroundings of the jungle. This Sarkar is neither doing anything for the tigers nor for we poor souls living here in the neighborhood of all these non existent tigers. Said a visibly angry looking police Havildar while washing the underwear of a babu.

The reason for us to lose at least 80% of our national animal in less than half a century is the mindless urbanization. Coupled with the nonchalant attitude of the authorities towards our wildlife and non accountability for the millions, which were supposed to be spend on wildlife and environment. The booty is eventually spend on various luxury items of the ministers and babus and on their holidays in Andaman & Nicobar. In this colony of crooks, the poor cat was a spectator. Rather a mute spectator and witness to the siphoning of millions which should have gone for their rehabilitation. Instead it went for the purchase of jewellery, a nice piece of land near sea side, for the reception of mantriji's youngest daughter's marriage, babu's third class degree holder son's foreign study. With this more caring attitude towards respective bank accounts and wife's jewellery box than the tigers, our national animal did a disappearing act gradually. At some point I even think the circus walas are far better than these buffoons, as the tigers are at least safer in their hands.

It's high time our environment minister drops the argument on BT Brinjal and starts thinking about our national animal. If the proceedings in Shastri Bhawan and all the forest offices goes on as it is, then very soon we might have to choose another animal to emblem with the national stamp. How about having a wild donkey or a fox as a replacement Mr. Ramesh? I hope somebody should take care of the beasts in a proper way as I seriously don't want to show my grand children the tiger in drawings only and I dearly don't want to miss the dialogue of Raj Kumar in Hindi movies - "Jaani. Sheron ko marne par srakar bhi pabandi laga chuki hai. Wese sher bache bhi kitne hai jungle main."