J’khand tiger reserve turns into ‘cowshed’

RANCHI: The expansive Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR), Jharkhand’s lone protected tiger den, is gradually turning into a cowshed with milkmen from Bihar, Chattisgarh and surrounding areas encroaching the reserve to let their cattle graze, forest officials said.

A three-day monitoring drive carried out across the reserve last month led to the discovery of temporary cow shelters, called khatals, spread around the buffer zone. In some areas, the herders had encroached upon core areas as well. As many as 3,000 domestic buffalos had been found grazing.

“Unfortunately, the cattle made entry to even core areas of the reserve. They are roaming and grazing in areas like Baresanrh and Garu, causing a big threat to the wildlife of the protected reserve,” said PTR steering committee member, DS Srivastava.

The problem lies in the logistical scale of operations; the reserve is spread across 1,130 square kilometers, however, only seven forest guards are on duty as opposed to the sanctioned 175 posts. The Palamu reserve — one of the oldest habitats brought under Project Tiger in 1973— is thus saddled with problems like poaching and vanishing grazing fields. With habitat loss and increasing human interference, wild animals are migrating to other places. Back in 1974, there were 50 tigers in the reserve. This number came down to 38 in 2005 and 10 in the 2010 tiger census. The latest census report in 2014 estimates that only three tigers are left in the reserve. Srivastava said the encroachment has also led to the disruption of the ecosystem. The animals carry diseases that spread through the few water bodies available for the wild animals. Recently, a three-year-old baby elephant in Baresanrh range, died of suspected anthrax. Experts said that the disease was possibly transmitted through the bovines which bathe in these water bodies. “The buffaloes are transmitting their diseases to other wild animals through grass and water,” Srivastava said. To mitigate the problem, PTR officials have now asked the villagers to move their cattle out of the reserve. “We regularly try to remove cattle from the reserve area but they return again,” said PTR divisional forest officer (buffer area), Mahaling.