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R. Balaji

She keeps a wary eye on visitors as she escorts her young to the waterhole. She cannot be too careful; she is part of a dwindling breed and the safety of the sanctuary she inhabits cannot be taken for granted.

She is a tigress inhabiting an area called Gudda in the Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, along with her two seven-month-old cubs.

Tourists, armed with cameras and binoculars, crowd near the waterhole. She knows they are harmless. But then, she has her cubs to think of; she is jittery as she enters the waterhole and settles down to cool off.

It is summer; the best time for wildlife lovers to catch a glimpse of tigers, whose movements are dictated by the presence of water. The natural waterholes deep in the forest dry up and the tigers arrive at those that are supplied by the forest department's water tankers.

But for how long will Ranthambore draw visitors? It may have a hundred species of birds, scores of herbivores — Nilgai, Sambhar, Chital, Cinkara, and countless other wild animals — sloth bear, wild boar, mongoose, jackal and leopard. But it is the tiger that makes Ranthambore what it is, and their numbers are dwindling, say NGOs and other experts.

The sanctuary, as others elsewhere, is under pressure - manmade and natural. Increasing population, dwindling natural resources, competition between man and animal are some of the threats. But effective conservation calls for accurate data, experts point out.

It is census time at Ranthambore and the number of tigers in the sanctuary will be officially announced end-May. The official figure is 38 at present but regular visitors fear the actual number might be half that. It is time to truthfully declare the correct figure, they say, pointing out that the idea is not to pin the blame on anyone but work out the right strategies to help save the numbers left.

Colin Stafford-Johnson, a freelance filmmaker who has extensively filmed the tigers at Ranthambore for various agencies, including international news agencies, says accurate numbers are important for conservation measures to succeed.

Sadly, the census routine is rather outdated. Tracking pugmarks is outmoded. Modern tools such as remotely operated photo traps to identify individual tigers would make a big difference, says Johnson. Further, keeping count of the tigers must be a continuous process rather than periodic census exercises. Forest guards must be required to move around the territory and file daily reports. This would help detect any drop in numbers, whether due to manmade or natural causes.

Last year, an NGO called Tiger Watch claimed that its study showed 18 tigers were missing from the sanctuary. According to Fateh Singh Rathore, Vice-Chairman of Tiger Watch, there are definitely not more than 20 tigers in Ranthambore. Modern equipment, a dedicated staff and strong policies are the key to the tigers' survival, he says.

Picture by the author

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