No Evidence of Tigers in Sariska: WWF

13 February, 2005

A World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-India expert team has found ''not a single sign of evidence-direct or indirect-to indicate the presence of tiger'' in Rajasthan's Sariska reserve.
The team, which was invited by the Vasundhara Raje government to conduct a field survey, will soon submit its preliminary report to the state and the Centre, said P K Sen, Director, Tiger Programme, WWF-India. The survey followed an investigation by The Sunday Express that exposed the story of the missing tigers.
The preliminary report-a copy is with The Indian Express-has pointed out the following:
= The park's tigers came to harm between July and December, 2004
= Only poaching during that period can explain the sudden disappearance of the tigers
= Connivance of forest staff with the poachers is a distinct possibility
= If any tigers still remain, their number won't exceed one or two
= The management now must stay at Sariska to revive the park administration and take up the challenge of rebuilding the park
Meanwhile, an intensive search operation in Sariska, recommended by the Centre, is scheduled to end tomorrow.
While officials are reluctant to confirm details, sources in the ministry say no concrete evidence of tiger presence has been found by the government search team, either.
Project Tiger director, Rajesh Gopal, refused to comment on the WWF-India report, but claimed: ''I am waiting for the state government's report which will reach us in a few days. But I can tell you there are still tigers in the area. Maybe, they have moved away due to tourist disturbance.''
The Rajasthan government has also set up a six-member task force on the tigers missing from Sariska, Chief Minister Raje announced today.
Said Valmik Thapar, member of Project Tiger steering committee, and one of the members of Raje's task force: ''The terms of reference will be as broad as possible. The task at hand is to ensure the safety of the forests. Besides, Sariska's future has to be discussed. We must look into how the early warning system failed. But that is not surprising when the Project Tiger Directorate didn't find time to convene its steering committee for last two years.''