Source: INDIANEXPRESS

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Context

India is home to over 70% of the world's wild tigers making their conservation a matter of national and global importance.

However certain well-meaning but misguided practices such as live baiting and over-intervention in tiger care have emerged as new challenges.

These practices though intended to help individual animals often go against the core principles of wildlife conservation and ecology.

What is Live Baiting?

Live baiting is the practice of offering a live prey animal typically buffalo calves, goats, or dogs to a predator like a tiger to lure or feed it.

Historical Context

Colonial era: British hunters used live bait to shoot tigers from elevated hides.

Post-independence: Live baiting continued for tourism purposes in places like Sariska till 1982, when it was stopped by PM Indira Gandhi.

Contemporary Practice

Now live baiting is used in conflict or health-related scenarios especially in reserves like Ranthambhore and Tadoba.

Tigers especially injured or geriatric ones are regularly fed live bait often without scientific justification.

National Tiger Conservation Authority SOP

Feeding wild tigers is not banned but not advisable.

Wild populations must be managed with minimum human intervention.

Interfering in the survival of the fittest violates ecological principles.

Artificial feeding risks habituation leading to conflict with humans and livestock.

Why is Live Baiting Problematic?

Habituation to Humans

Tigers start associating humans and vehicles with food increasing risk of attacks.

Loss of Hunting Skills

Cubs raised on bait fail to learn survival skills. 

Leads to early death in natural competition.

Rise in Human-Wildlife Conflict

Habituated tigers may attack humans or livestock. 

Creates danger for both tourists and forest staff. 

Violation of Natural Selection

Protecting injured/old tigers goes against survival of the fittest. 

Artificially prolongs life of weak individuals. 

Ecological Imbalance

Artificial survival boosts pocket populations increasing intra-species conflict and pressure on prey base. 

Misplaced Kindness: A Growing Trend

Public Sentiment vs Ecological Science

Post-Sariska debacle (2005) and other tiger deaths emotional appeals on social media led to increased interventions. 

Conservationists label this trend misplaced kindness. 

Experts comment that a wild tiger doesn’t need pet care it needs a wild home. 

A Culture of Over-Intervention

Examples of Interventions

Frequent tranquilisation for minor injuries. 

Water holes created during every dry season. 

Shifting prey species to augment food artificially. 

Prolonged medical care for deformities or injuries. 

Reserves Practicing This:

Corbett (Uttarakhand)

Bandipur (Karnataka)

Kanha & Pench (Madhya Pradesh)

Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh) 

Result

Multiple sedations, poor recovery, artificial population management, increased conflict potential. 

Conservation vs Compassion: The Dilemma

Way Forward

Strict Implementation of NTCA SOP.

Promote understanding of natural death and ecological balance.

Invest in non-invasive monitoring, awareness and quick response teams. 

Let field biologists and ecologists guide interventions not public sentiment or tourism pressure. 

Ensure prey base and water availability to reduce need for intervention. 

Sources:

INDIANEXPRESS