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April 28, 2010 | India might prohibit tiger tourism in near future | New Delhi: India is contemplating putting a stop to tiger tourism in the wake of heightened fears regarding the sustainability of the species in the present scenario. Unlike the sprawling African Savannah parks, Indian wildlife reserves, sanctuaries an national parks are not conducive for such a high volume of visitors. Dr Rajesh Gopal, the
head of India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority said: “We should not forget
that tiger reserves are primarily for conserving the endangered tiger and tourism
is just a secondary outcome.” The numbers of this magnificent predator have dwindled
alarmingly. According to government officials, the species has already disappeared
or is in danger of becoming extinct in 16 reserves. A century ago, when tiger
hunting was a favourite pastime of Raj-era dignitaries, there were an estimated
40,000 in India . A count in February 2008 showed that India ’s tiger population
had plummeted to 1,411 animals, down from 3,642 in 2002. The latest figure is
disputed, however. Some experts say that there may be only 800 wild tigers in
India today and that the species could be rendered extinct in five years. The
decline is largely due to poaching, but habitat damage caused by tourism has also
reached critical levels, reports The Times. the Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh,
said this month that unregulated tourism was as much a threat to tiger population
as poaching. He said that he would clamp down on “mushrooming luxury resorts around
tiger reserves”. He singled out Corbett National Park — named after the British
hunter-turned-conservationist Jim Corbett and a favourite destination with Western
tourists — as a habitat that had degenerated because of tourism. At least four
tigers have died there in the past two months, according to reports. |
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