HYDERABAD: The idea of getting to watch a tiger in the wild might thrill many but as a study by researchers from the Hyderabad-based Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES), a division of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) suggests, eco-tourism in tiger reserves causes harm to tigers.
As part of the study, researchers from LaCONES headed by Dr G Umapathy studied the concentrations of chemical glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) in 341 fecal samples of tigers collected from Bandhavgarh and Kanha tiger reserves of Madhya Pradesh. The chemical fGCM is an indicator of stress in the tigers.
The LaCONES researchers compared the fGCM samples in the fecal samples of tigers collected during the tourism period and during the non-tourism period.
It was found that the levels of fGCM was higher in the fecal samples of tigers that were collected during the tourism period, indicating that the big cats are not exactly fine with humans venturing into their forests searching for them and staring at them when found.
The researchers also found a direct correlation between the fGCM concentrations in the fecal samples and the number of vehicles/disturbance level in the tiger reserves.
Detection of elevated fGCM levels is a dangerous sign, high levels of this chemical in the tiger’s body can negatively impact their growth, reproductive success, immunity and also cause muscular atrophy.
A previous study by the same group of researchers from LaCONES had reported a negative impact on the reproduction capacity of newly introduced tigers in the Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan due to high levels of stress caused by excessive human interference.
The study by LaCONES researchers recommends a strict regulation of vehicular traffic, number of tourist vehicles, shifting of artificial waterholes away from tourist roads and reducing other anthropogenic disturbances through various ways, including by relocation of villages from the core area.
This study should also serve as an alarm call for the TS government authorities who are yet to relocate many villages from the core areas of Kawal and Amrabad tiger reserves, even villages who have given consent for it.