Chennai: China might have banned the use of tiger body parts in traditional medicines. But the demand for the big cat’s bones and other parts has not come down because of the Chinese people’s belief in the healing and aphrodisiac qualities of tiger parts.
Reports say the sale of alcohol-based health tonics with tiger bones in them is thriving in that country. The Chinese believe that these tonics can treat rheumatism, reduce joint stiffness, and increase sexual vigour.
Have the tiger parts really got healing and aphrodisiac powers? Or is it just a myth?
“Tiger parts don’t have any such powers. It is only a superstition,” says well-known wildlife and conservation filmmaker Shekar Dattatri.
Shekar, who has spent over thirty years observing and filming tigers, says this Chinese ‘superstition’ poses the gravest threat to the tiger in India.
While interacting with the audience after the screening of his documentary ‘The Truth about Tigers’ at the Dakshinachitra in Chennai on Saturday, he said the Chinese demand for tiger parts is fuelling poaching by organised criminal gangs.
These gangs, mainly members of highly-skilled hunting tribes like the Baheliya and Bawaria from central India, travel to wildlife reserves across the country on poaching expeditions. These gangs are paid Rs 2 to 3 lakh for every tiger they hunt down.
The lack of enforcement of wildlife laws helps the poachers. State forest departments have neither the resources nor the expertise to prevent poaching, he says. There are over 20,000 field staff vacancies in forest departments across the country because of ‘lack of funds’. But at the same time, there was no dearth of budgetary allocation for unnecessary and undesirable ‘civil works’ in the forests in the name of saving the tiger, he points out.
The poached tiger’s parts are being smuggled to China via Nepal.
Only the Chinese government can stop the smuggling. “But they don’t do anything to prevent it,” rues Shekar.
“Lots of countries are concerned about the fate of the Indian tiger. But nobody wants to antagonise the Chinese government since China is a more powerful country,” he said.
Does he believe that the poaching of the tigers in India will end if the Chinese government lifted the ban on farm-bred tigers?
It wouldn’t change the situation, he said, since the Chinese believe that the healing and aphrodisiac qualities of the wild tigers are greater than those raised in farms or cages.
If the poaching of the tigers is the most serious threat to the tiger population, equally serious is the illegal hunting of their preys by locals, which makes it impossible for the tigers to survive.
When the numbers of their preys come down, the tigers enter human habitats to kill cattle and other animals.
This creates a man-tiger clash that ultimately results in the death of the big cat at the hands of the locals.
So, how many tigers are now left in India? Less than 1,500, says Shekar.
But the tiger is a prolific breeder, he goes on to add. Their numbers can be increased drastically if we approach the issue with determination.
“We have seen the number of tigers increasing in places where the anti-poaching drive was enforced and hunting of prey animals was controlled. The Project Tiger also helped. But we should see a drastic increase in the number. For that we need to take four crucial steps.”
The four steps Shekar suggests are: Stop poaching totally, modernise forest departments, create space for the tiger and make the best use of the knowledge of the wildlife biologists.
About the documentary
Shekar Dattatri calls ‘The Truth about Tigers’ an educational documentary. He says his aim in bringing out this documentary was to tell ordinary people how they can contribute to saving the tiger.
This film takes one through the tiger’s life - from birth to death - and illustrates how different human activities impact the conservation of this great predator.
The film combines footage shot by some of the world’s leading cinematographers with insights from experts such as renowned tiger biologist Dr Ullas Karanth of the Wildlife Conservation Society, and wildlife crime fighter Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.
Noted actor Roshan Seth provides the narration.
Britain’s top documentary composer David Mitcham has contributed to the music score.
Also read: How a good wish from you can save the planet
