Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed India’s efforts in conserving tigers, but experts say the country needs to look beyond numbers and focus on increasing protected areas and preventing conflict with humans.
“I laud all those who are actively working to protect the tiger. It would make you proud that India has 52 tiger reserves covering over 75,000 square kilometres. Innovative measures are being undertaken to involve local communities in tiger protection,” Mr Modi said, on the occasion of International Tiger Day.
The tiger, India's national animal, is a protected species in the country.
India has 2,967 tigers in the wild, according to a 2019 census, or two-thirds of the worldwide population.
The number of tiger reserves has grown to 52 since the protected areas were set up in 1973 under Project Tiger, which aims to increase the population in the wild to 4,000 by the next decade.
Endangered species
It is estimated that more than 58,000 tigers roamed Indian forests nearly two centuries ago, but decades of hunting for sport and habitat destruction reduced their numbers to less than 2,000 by the 1970s.
Tigers were placed on the list of endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1975.
New Delhi has invested heavily in increased vigilance and conservation measures under Project Tiger.
Last year, the Environment Ministry allocated three billion rupees (about $38 million) for the project.
Efforts include improved safety and stricter wildlife policies, the use of information technology and camera traps for monitoring and surveillance, profiling and photographing each animal, and in some cases relocating villagers from catchment areas.
It also built the world’s largest underpass in Madhya Pradesh — a state with about 550 of the country's tigers — so the big cats can safely cross a highway.
“These numbers represent the great amount of effort and we have made progress in certain places,” Abishek Harihar, a population ecologist and deputy director of Panthera, a wild cat conservation group, told The National.
Poaching threat
Despite the government's efforts, tigers are still an endangered species because of the threat from poaching and shrinking habitats that cause human-animal conflicts.
Junior environment minister Ashwini Choubey said this week that more than 329 tigers have died in the country due to poaching and natural and unnatural causes in the past three years.
At least 75 deaths have been recorded this year.
For the three-year period, 68 tiger deaths were attributed to natural causes, five to unnatural causes, 29 to poaching and 30 to “seizure”. More than 200 deaths are still being investigated.
Seizure is when tiger body parts are found, and it is presumed that the animal is dead.
In central Madhya Pradesh, more than 1,000 of the animals have been killed in the past decade, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, a government body.
Poaching of tigers for body parts — mainly claws, teeth, bones and fur — continues because of the demand in illegal international markets, particularly in China where they are used in traditional medicines despite a ban.
Experts say the government needs also needs to focus on eastern and north-eastern parts of the country that once were natural habitats of the tiger.
“There are many areas that still don’t have tigers, especially eastern, central Indian landscapes like Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh states. There are extensive forest covers but little to no tiger population,” Mr Harihar said.
He blamed the lack of political will due to decades of violent insurgency in these states, but also the shrinking habitats of animals like deer, the natural prey of tigers.
Conflict with humans
Despite all this, India remains a beacon of hope for tiger conservation.
It is the only country that managed to achieve the target of doubling its tiger population by 2022, after joining a global conservation effort with 13 countries — including Bhutan and Nepal — in 2010. In 2006 when the number of tigers in India had been down to just over 1,400.
But the growing number of tigers has brought a significant increase human-animal conflict in the country of 1.3 billion people.
Tigers have killed more than 100 people in India over the past three years, Mr Choubey told Parliament in April.
The western state of Maharashtra state, which has nearly 400 tigers and five tiger reserves, recorded the most deaths, with 56.
In Uttar Pradesh, 17 people were killed in tiger attacks: eight in 2019, four in 2020 and five last year.
Experts attribute the conflict to shrinking habitats due to developmental projects, overpopulation in reserves, and human settlements near protected areas resulting in the tigers straying in search of food.
“Most tigers in reserves have less protected [buffer] habitat around as they are either surrounded by human settlements or disrupted by infrastructure development projects.
“If a tiger loses a territorial fight and is ousted from the area there is a greater chance that it would not survive, or prey on livestock in a nearby human habitat,” Mr Harihar said.
He said measures to pre-empt or reduce conflict and community engagement were “very critical”.
“Local community and government needs to work together [to create] strong policies around common lands to be used by people and clarity of what objectives the areas will fulfil,” he said.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
The biog
Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos
Favourite spice: Cumin
Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The view from The National
57%20Seconds
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rusty%20Cundieff%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJosh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Morgan%20Freeman%2C%20Greg%20Germann%2C%20Lovie%20Simone%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Empires%20of%20the%20Steppes%3A%20A%20History%20of%20the%20Nomadic%20Tribes%20Who%20Shaped%20Civilization
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKenneth%20W%20Harl%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHanover%20Square%20Press%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E576%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The%20pillars%20of%20the%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Strategy
%3Cp%3EEncourage%20innovation%20in%20the%20metaverse%20field%20and%20boost%20economic%20contribution%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20outstanding%20talents%20through%20education%20and%20training%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20applications%20and%20the%20way%20they%20are%20used%20in%20Dubai's%20government%20institutions%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAdopt%2C%20expand%20and%20promote%20secure%20platforms%20globally%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20the%20infrastructure%20and%20regulations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Twin%20electric%20motors%20and%20105kWh%20battery%20pack%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E619hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C015Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUp%20to%20561km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ3%20or%20Q4%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh635%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
