National Geographic explorers Krithi Karanth and Malaika Vaz speak to Chahak Mittal about how pandemic-induced lockdown increased tiger poaching activities in India and put conservation at risk

The lockdown has meant that “sighting tourism” at our tiger reserves is non-existent. But with the wildlife economy shut and the concurrent reduced vigilance at parks, poachers have become very active again. According to the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network, TRAFFIC, which recently released a report, Indian wildlife amidst the COVID-19 crisis: An analysis of poaching and illegal wildlife trade, more than 88 poaching incidents were reported from March 23 till May 3, almost double the number during the six weeks before the lockdown. Nat Geo explorers Krithi Karanth and Malaika Vaz are currently assessing conservation challenges in the post-pandemic era.

Recalling the good old days of filmmaking in various national parks, Vaz recalls an experience she had in Karnataka. She was walking towards her car at midnight without any guards around her and had a “distinct feeling of being watched.” However, she kept walking. She looked up to find a pair of glimmering eyes of a leopard through the bushes. “And I remember that moment viscerally — an enormous cat staring back at me in the middle of the night in a jungle. I had frozen. But surprisingly, for a moment, I stared back at him. And later, walked back silently. It was the most magical experience for me. I got up close with an incredible animal like a leopard,” says she. For Krithi Karanth, who has researched the man-animal conflict, the very “unpredictability” of being in the jungle is the ultimate challenge.

How has the pandemic impacted tigers?

Krithi: I think the impact of this pandemic has clearly demonstrated that not just tigers but all wildlife species are inextricably connected to people. Tinkering with nature, particularly fragmenting and disturbing their habitats, hunting their prey base and consumption of wild meat have led to an emergence of zoonotic diseases. Once the zoonosis reaches the people, we can see its devastating impact. I think it’s really important that we create intact habitat spaces, which allow wildlife to live and move securely and reduce opportunities for disease transmission between people and wildlife as much as possible.

Malaika: Tigers are huge drivers of the eco-tourism in India. The tiger economy employs a large number of people from local communities. There has been a lot of discourse on how this pandemic has provided a respite to wildlife and wild places. This may be true in some places but as per field reports and studies over the past couple of months, we have come across a substantial increase in poaching and wildlife trafficking of tigers and other wildlife.

What is the role of local communities in protecting tigers and other wildlife species?

Malaika: When you have local communities as leaders of conservation and not just token stakeholders, that’s when conservation becomes truly effective. However, they need to be empowered to make decisions about the fate of tigers on an everyday basis because they know their land and necessities better than anyone else. They understand tiger behaviour.

I would like to share the example of an organisation called Tigerwatch in the outskirts of Ranthambore, Rajasthan. It works with the Moghiya tribe (a tribe of traditional tiger poachers, who claim to be loyal courtiers of the erstwhile kingdom of Udaipur). After the tiger-poaching ban, they lost their livelihood. The organisation provided them conservation education, training and work opportunities. It also stewards a network of Village Wildlife Volunteers (VWV) from the surrounding communities, who set up camera traps to monitor tiger movement and apprehend poaching activity.

How do you think the pandemic affected local communities?

Malaika: Multiple communities depend on the forest for their livelihood. Over the last couple of months, as our economy has been hit badly by the pandemic, tourism in wildlife zones has come to a near standstill. This disproportionately affects the local communities that live alongside wildlife and receive an income from being employed as naturalists, nature guides, forest protectors and eco-tourism operators.

I think the pandemic has taught us that tigers cannot survive without the full participation and support of local communities. So, as conservationists, we have to do everything that we can to empower these communities and provide for their needs — to ensure that they receive the benefits of living alongside tigers. This is imperative for tiger conservation.

For people who are passionate about it, I would recommend doing some homework online and donating to small-scale organisations like Tigerwatch, the Last Wilderness Foundation or TRACT, which have been working to conserve wildlife and empower local communities. I think if we support these organisations on the frontline of tiger conservation, we would also support the larger cause.

What do you have to say about India’s potential to conserve tigers?

Krithi: My father, Dr K Ullas Karanth, is one of the pioneering tiger biologists in the world and his work has shown that India can accommodate up to 10,000 tigers as of today. So we shouldn’t be patting our backs on having around 3,000 tigers. Yes, tigers are doing much better in India today as compared to the situation in the 1970s or 80s. However, we still should aim higher and reach a number bigger than 3,000.

Malaika: Tigers are such a charismatic species. They can captivate people of every generation — from the youngest toddler to the oldest grandparent. Given this fact, a lot of national parks have been set up and protected areas have been assigned to regions with large tiger population.

For example, the Bandhavgarh Reserve is known for its big cats but is also home to lesser-known species like a rusty-spotted cat, which is protected inevitably when the land gets demarcated as a protected area. I think tigers act as an umbrella species and under the umbrella, smaller species also receive unprecedented attention.

I would say that when you go to national parks and protected areas, once this pandemic ends, take some time to notice the little creations like the flowers, the birds, the trees, the water resources and the other animals around. Observing the complex forest ecosystem in its entirety can help you better understand the role of its apex predator.

The vanishing forest cover has been a rising cause of concern...

Krithi: I think there is enough scientific evidence that has established that certain species are very adaptable and can live alongside humans. But there are others like tigers which require large swathes of forests and intact habitats that remain connected and not fragmented due to human activities. With an economy that’s booming and a country that’s growing at the rate we are, there’s a lot of infrastructural development coming in like railway lines, roads, highways, hydropower and so on. Rapid environmental clearances for such projects are being approved across many parts of India. And we may not be able to see it now, but these projects have the potential to cause huge disruptions to nature and wildlife habitats. They can have a devastating impact in the long run. I think that’s a major challenge we have.

As a wildlife scientist and explorer, any anecdote that you would like to share...

Malaika: I was on a shoot for National Geographic and I spent some time in the jungle getting up close with two male tigers. I had been observing them for four hours. And after that, they got into a fight for territory. I believe it was one of the most intense scenes that I had witnessed.

What are the challenges that such travels offer on an everyday basis?

Krithi: I think unpredictability is a challenge because of the nature of the work in both conservation and research. You can only plan so much after that you have to go with the flow. On any given day, I have to interact with so many types of people like scientists, conservationists, community leaders, donors, media, artists. It is both inspiring and invigorating.

Malaika: One of the most challenging things out there could be the weather. For the last week, I’ve been filming a short video for the National Geographic in the Western ghats and throughout the shoot, we experienced torrential rains. And when you’re in the rainforest, filming with an enormous amount of digital equipment and cameras, weather can be a huge challenge, but it’s adventurous at the same time.

What’s the fun part?

Krithi: The fact that it is not a nine to five job and the outdoors are never monotonous. It is life unscripted. Besides, how else would you get to see the real India?

Malaika: As a wildlife presenter and filmmaker, every single day is different. One day, you are in the jungle, and the next day, you’re in the middle of the Thar Desert. You could be on the Himalayas or diving under water. This unpredictability keeps us going.