Green chat: Will tiger tourism help conservation?

PROJECT TIGER TOURISM: Some experts are touting wildlife tourism as a viable method for wildlife conservation.

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Abhishek Behl: www.kidsfortigers.org. I am sure your children's school would be a part of it. Tell your children to get in touch with the co-ordinator of the school and KFT office and participate kids to their programs. WWF also must be doing programs and make your children take the initiative personally ahead. That’s where the realisation starts.

Ram C: Hi Abhishek, are all animal conservationists vegetarians? McDonalds, Burger Kings and KFCs are growing in numbers all across the world. Even the new Indian generation is fonder of eating meat. Maybe this is the reason why many among us don't care much about animals and their importance to the eco-system. Do you think there is not much done to promote vegetarianism?

Abhishek Behl: Hi Ram. A bit of a generalisation in your question. I do eat meat and also care a lot about species and its existence for future survival. I guess the divide line is what you call meat? I believe in the human food chain. I don't eat wild animals as I care about them. I feel vegetarianism is a personal preference and many colleagues in my conservation line are vegetarians and respect my personal likes. The eco-system has many food chains. The question now to think is how would you participate well in your natural selections.

Nitin Jain: If the population of tigers is so less, and decreasing, why they aren’t being mated more and their population increased?

Abhishek Behl: Hi Nitin, to answer that - I guess that's why they are called 'WILD'. If they were being mated more to increase population then it's better going to a zoo. I personally feel you need to travel more in wild habitats.

Ganesh: Sir, how is the new Tribal/Forest Land Act going to help in protecting the tiger?

Abhishek Behl: Hi Ganesh. Cannot say as we will just have to see what really happens. I call it not the Tribal Forest Act but the Forest Dwellers Act, to be more precise. A few days back I heard National parks/sanctuaries are kept out of the act. Good news.

Manoj Tiwari: There is a flip side to Tiger tourism in India. A lot of people will get fascinated by tigers and wild animals and they come to know of various usages their skin, bones, teeth etc. In the end they might end up looking for those thing i.e. promoting wildlife killings. This is exactly how the tribals are exploited. Where is the solution?

Abhishek Behl: Hi Manoj. I don’t want to get into much of what I learnt in university but yes, it was sad that there were very few case studies learnt about tourism and conservation from Indian tiger reserves. That’s what made me feel to start TOFT in India. That’s where Dr Karanth sponsored me to work at Ranthambhore. I guess, by blaming one another we will not achieve anything. If we each act individually we all can achieve a lot. We need to understand the root cause of what makes people turn poachers etc, work with them and then enhance their participation in cooperative structure etc. There are loads of things people can do.

Hari: First, we have to stop projecting tigers as a model. It will worsen the condition and affect the wildlife.

Abhishek Behl: Hi Hari, I agree here. People need to get out of being tiger-centric in wild habitats. I know we are called TOFT 'Travel operators for Tigers' because tigers are the top species in the Indian jungles and all the rest of the animals fall in its food chain. We call our campaign ‘Action on responsible use of wild habitats’. So, use it wisely. Use it well.