Tiger, Tiger is certainly not burning bright in Odisha. After the euphoria over the successful inter-state translocation of a tiger pair from Madhya Pradesh to the Satkosia Tiger Reserve in the state, the first-of-its-kind exercise in the country, raw realities are beginning to bite. Every attempt is being made to sabotage the project that not only aims to revive the tiger population in the reserve but also help Central India’s ecosystem.
Tiger repopulation is set to impede the interests of malicious elements like poachers, hunters, timber smugglers and the Maoists who have made the reserve area their haven. Their desperation to foil the programme is explicit in the organised protests, violence and vandalism that were never seen in the reserve—even when it had a thriving tiger population.
The death of a woman inside the tiger territory has provided a reason for them to protest. They have attributed the death to Sundari, the tigress released in the reserve recently. Despite the post-mortem report not clearly establishing tiger-kill, locals have resorted to large-scale violence, destroying forest department infrastructure in the crucial Tikarpada Forest Range. But behind the arson lies a greater game-plan—to cow down the government and weaken the vital infrastructure for protection of the forest and wildlife.
It is also shameful that political parties have joined the protests with an obvious eye on electoral gains. After initial knee-jerk reactions, the state government has stood its ground ruling out any relocation of the tigers. The re-population of tigers at Satkosia will also help local communities through tourism. It is essential now for the state government to take strong action against those fomenting trouble.
At the same time, it should reassure the local people about their safety—very crucial for the success of such an initiative. It is not that the people residing in the forest and those living on its fringes are seeing tigers for the first time. They have been living with tigers since time immemorial.