Valmik Thapar says while the big cat may survive, its habitat is already dead. He tells Karan Bhardwaj that change is inevitable unless India adopts new mechanisms in forest management
When it comes to Indian tigers, Valmik Thapar is an absolute authority. Having dedicated close to 40 years of his life to various wildlife sanctuaries, especially Ranthambore, in conserving and researching about the big cat, the man with an imposing personality, never fails to impress with his rich experiences and sharp views on government policies. Now, Thapar is ready with his latest book, Tiger Fire. It brings together the non-fiction writing, photography and art on the Indian tiger from the first written description of a real-life encounter with the animal by the Mughal Emperor Babur in the 16th century to photographs and studies of the last of the species surviving in the wild today.
Why is the book called Tiger FireIJ
The title compliments the animal. Fire because tiger is a huge creature and sets fire in my stomach. It has incredible power and beauty. My life has been burning for last four decades for the protection of the big cat.
Can you recall your first encounter with tigerIJ
I was nine and sitting on top of an elephant roaming in the Corbett National Park. My uncle was in UP Forest service and we were looking for tigers. Suddenly, it raced across the feet of the elephant and that’s how I first saw it. May be once or twice after that as a child, I saw tiger in UP. My real encounter was in March 1976 in Ranthambore with my tiger guru Fateh Singh Rathore. It was always like you see it and it would disappear, and you think whether you saw it or not. That’s started challenging me, and I wanted to know more of it. I began to develop a relationship with the animal. It took me over completely.
Tell us about the research for the book.
It took three years of research from my own library which has over 1,000 books on tigers and wildlife. I started reading everything, and extracted the best of it. While I extracted, I also had to match it with the sketches, paintings, lithographs, black and white pictures. So it took a lot of effort but I managed to do a historical section of some 340 pages. I also wanted the best of young photographers going to sanctuaries and having unique encounters. I traced interesting pictures in a visual section which is astounding. Images show how a tiger eats porcupine, ant-eaters, how it attacks animals.
Share some great memories of Ranthambore.
I used to stay at a forest rest house called Jogi Mahal in the 80s. I was having a cup of coffee, sitting at the balcony, looking at this lake. There were few crocodiles in water. Suddenly four spotted deer walked to the edge of the lake. A tiger suddenly attacked them and killed one. The other three raced into the water where they were engulfed by crocodiles. In one charge of tiger, four deer were killed. In a matter of time, everything got normal like nothing had happened. No one could even imagine what took place there a few minutes ago. Forest is like a window to a secret world. A story unfolds every minute. I am lucky to discover some secrets.
Can tigers go back to prosperityIJ
My best work with tigers happened in the 80s when we believed the population was 4,000. There was a political will to improve the situation in the forest life. However with time, things only deteriorated. Today, with scientific ways in function, the number has come down to almost half. These tigers irrespective of numbers will find a way to live. But they are not living the way I knew them. There is extinction of their habitat. Their land is extensively managed by men. The latest tiger reserve that has been declared has no tiger in it. It has been asked to put tigers in it. You put radio radars with collars and tranquilise them. The fashion of their habitat has changed. They are controlled. Earlier, they would run from Ranthambore to Madhya Pradesh without any boundary.
Things seem to have stagnated. There’s hardly any breakthrough in tiger protection...
Indian Forest Service must change its mindset. They should be open to outside involvement. There should be collaboration and participation from the private players, individuals. If Nandan Nilekani and Sam Pitroda can be brought in for telecom and UIDs, why cannot a private person be the director of a national parkIJ
The whole Africa is doing it. local people manage the park, tour operators walk with locals, hoteliers work with government, they use all the available models in different parts of their land. We don’t use any model here. India needs to reinvent and reorient as per the modern needs.
You have worked with government in various capacities for more than two decades. What are your findingsIJ
It’s been an absolute failure. No one ever takes you seriously. They appreciate “great ideas” but do not implement any. We need to adopt different approach. Trained professionals must be allowed to enter and work with project directors in field. Private people, not necessarily from Indian Foreign Services, should be appointed as ambassadors, and look after the whole mission. What stops such steps in national parksIJ
All over the world, tiger is the most charismatic species. Over 600 million people go to zoos to see tigers every year. Any wildlife tourist who comes to India want to see tigers.
