ROAR by Nandini Velho (Report)

Roar

with Nandini Velho

The PSA in collaboration with the Nature Club, Wilson College

Session: Roar

Speaker: Nandini Velho

Date: 29 June 2021 (International Tiger Day)

Time: 5:00 to 6:30 PM

International Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29 to raise awareness about the conservation of the wild cat, which over the last 150 years has witnessed a massive drop of nearly 95% in its population.

"Let Nature Be Your Teacher".

Nandini Velho worked in 'Pakke Tiger Reserve' situated in Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Himalayas, for on-ground outreach activities. She is a nature conservationist who has worked closely with local forest managers, policymakers in the Ministry of Environment and Forest.

The framework for this session is grounded theories, divided into three parts:

1. Field Work.

2. Social contexts.

3. Emergent works.

In Arunachal Pradesh, 60% of the forest is administrated by the communities. 2007-2017 is the period of presentation. There are 30 anti-poaching camps. Tana Tapi is a former DFO PTR known as a local Nishi. Understanding human dimensions and social contexts are essential.

Diying Kho Festival was the last time an animal was sacrificed. The locals were also taught to prevent animal hunts.

Legal security is 12% of the provincial land area. The tropical and subtropical moist land is 20% preserved. 5.8% of land is strictly protected area. 

In Arunachal Pradesh threat to biodiversity are logging, deforestation, hunting, fire, overgrazing.

Nandini Velho also shared her field insights and narrated the stories of tigers in Pakke. It was very thoughtful of her to mention and give due credit to her colleagues, staff at Pakke and other conservationists.

The first tiger census was conducted in 1934 by a single man -  I W Nicholson. In 1972, India's 1st Tiger Census was conducted with the help of 5000 people spanning two weeks. The Census also included Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

The initially used 'pug mark method' for tiger census was not 100% reliable as irregular circles and 3 tier pugmarks were recorded. Also a lot of confusion was occurring between tiger and leopards pug mark. Therefore, to overcome this difficulty, the 'sampling method' and the use of camera traps was included in the tiger census which happens every 4 years. The new methods used are always an estimation as accurate population finding is always difficult. New born cubs and tigers that die during the period between the end of the Census and the release of the Census, are not counted.

With the help of graph, statistics and pictures, Nandini Velho explained to us the different components of a tiger Census. A staff at Pakke, Chandan Ri helped in camera trapping. Gaon Burah is the oldest male tiger in Pakke which was captured on a camera trap.

The participants got to know about the 'top down control hypothesis' and 'bottom up hypothesis'. As prey density increases, number of tigers also increases and are consistent for most tigers reserves. The role of predators is very crucial in maintaining ecology. It is at the top of the food chain. A single tiger eats approximately 50 deer, but 500 deer are required to maintain the consistent number throughout the year.

As the Burmese saying goes "If a tiger had to depend on its nose, it would starve to death".Tigers have a poor sense of smell, but they have a great sense of hearing and sight.

The speaker beautifully illustrated on how the flora and fauna are interconnected. Through photos, she showcased the beauty of Pakke to our audience. The main prey of the tigers at Pakke are elephant, deers, gaur, wild pig etc.

Large bodied species are found more in protected areas and small bodied species are found more in community managed areas. Shahajahan claimed that paradise on earth is in the Himalayas and several fruit species are found there as well. Plant- animal interaction and fragment interaction are different.

As mentioned earlier, throughout the session, Nandini Velho was giving examples of the support staff at Pakke Tiger Reserve. One such person was Koro Tayam who was killed by a wild elephant. A crowd funding campaign was launched to support the widow of Mr. Tayam. Donations, Campaigns, Educating the children are some of the tools used for better conservation of flora and fauna.

Through the Question Answer round, the speaker addressed issues like the procedure to shoot a human-eating tiger and the impact of Environmental Impact Assessment on Pakke. Nandini Velho opined that the wait to see a tiger on a nature outing is as beautiful as the destination. 

The speaker's colleagues had also joined the session, namely Kime Rambia ( who addressed the challenges faced while encountering the poachers as they are familiar with the terrain, animals and have weapons), Julee Jerang and Deepa VK also shared their experiences and insights.

On a side note, an ex student also mentioned that the Nature Club of Wilson College had gone to Pakke Tiger Reserve almost a decade back.

"The tiger dies without the forest, and similarly the forest is cut down without  the tiger."

( Mahabharat, Udyog Parva 5.29.48 )

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Report drafted by Vedanti Patil, SYBA, Interim Committee.