Meant to reduce stress on big cats, why safari parks may be a double-edged sword

Meant to reduce stress on big cats, why safari parks may be a double-edged sword

Subject: Environment

Section: Env law and body

Context:

• On March 6, the Supreme Court expressed its willingness to approve the creation of a Tiger Safari at Pakhrau within the buffer zone of the Corbett tiger reserve. This initiative is intended exclusively for local tigers that are injured, have been involved in conflicts, or are orphaned, explicitly excluding tigers from zoos.

What is tiger safari?

• A “tiger safari” is a concept that emerged within the realm of wildlife tourism, specifically aimed at facilitating the viewing of tigers within their natural or semi-natural habitats.
• Although not explicitly defined under The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the idea gained formal recognition in the Guidelines for Tourism issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2012.
• These guidelines envisaged tiger safaris within the buffer areas of tiger reserves,primarily to manage the high tourist influx in the core habitats critical for tiger conservation.
• By 2016, the NTCA had issued more specific guidelines for establishing Tiger Safaris in buffer and fringe areas of tiger reserves, explicitly for rehabilitating injured, conflicted, or orphaned tigers.
• These guidelines emphasized that tigers for these safaris should not be sourced from zoos. However, in a notable shift in policy in 2019, the NTCApermitted the introduction of animals from zoos into tiger safaris and delegated the responsibility of selecting such animals to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
• The Supreme Court, however, has criticized the idea of housing zoo tigers or other captive animals in tiger habitats, highlighting the risk it poses to wild tigers and other wildlife due to potential disease transmission. The court has suggested that the NTCA’s approach of considering tiger safaris as zoos within tiger reservescontradicts the core objectives of tiger conservation.

But why build a tiger safari in a forest?

• The construction of tiger safaris within forests is primarily motivated by the intent to mitigate the adverse effects of tourism on wildlife within tiger reserves.
• Safari parks offer these animals a chance to live in an environment that closely resembles their natural habitat.
• The establishment of safari parks in buffer areas aligns with the dual objectives of supporting the livelihood and developmental needs of local communities while simultaneously generating revenue and fostering positive attitudes towards tiger conservation.
• Challenges:
  • Historical data indicates that creating new safari routes to manage tourism demand in tiger reserves often results in increased tourist influx rather than its intended reduction. The practice of showcasing “rescued” tigers in safari parks marks a departure from previous norms, which favoured non-display facilities for such animals.
  • Conservationists raise ethical concerns, arguing that the concept of housing “rescued” wildlife in safari parks prioritizes the welfare of individual animals over the broader interests of the species and conservation goals.

What is the ground reality in Corbett and elsewhere?

• The Pakhrau Safari Park planned on the southwestern edge of the Corbett Tiger Reserve near Uttar Pradesh, aims to avoid disrupting tiger and wildlife movements towards the Rajaji tiger reserve by utilizing an existing forest road without necessitating tree cutting.
• This initiative seeks to extend the economic benefits of tiger tourism beyond the Ramnagar area, which has so far capitalized on its proximity to Corbett, aiming to promote livelihood and development opportunities on the reserve’s other side.
• However, parallels drawn with the Ranthambhore safari park in Rajasthan, intended for rescued tigers to alleviate tourism pressure and boost local livelihoods, suggest caution. Since its conception in 2015-16, the project has faced repeated setbacks, with attempts to construct peripheral walls collapsing and necessitating continuous repairs.
• Prior to the Supreme Court’s recent restriction on using zoo animals for such parks, various safari parks within protected forests, like the Nahargarh Biological Park inaugurated in 2016, have featured animals from zoos, including Asiatic lions and Royal Bengal tigers, among others.
• This practice, however, has proven problematic for territorial species, leading to stress and aggressive behaviour, as seen with resident leopards reacting to captive ones in Nahargarh, indicating the complex dynamics and challenges involved in integrating safari parks within natural wildlife habitats.

Source: IE