VZCZCXRO8907
PP RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHCG #0114/01 0911005
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 311005Z MAR 08
FM AMCONSUL CHENNAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1579
INFO RUEHCG/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000114 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SECSTATE PASS TO DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR 
STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/ETC, OES/ENV, AND SCA/INS 
STATE PASS TO NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS 
INTERIOR FOR FRED BAGLEY AND MINI NAGENDRAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV PGOV PREL IN
SUBJECT: SOUTH INDIA'S TIGERS ARE HANGING ON, BUT STILL IN DANGER 
 
REF: NEW DELHI 614 
 
¶1. Summary:  The number of tigers in South India dropped by about 30 
percent in the last four years and the animals disappeared from 17 
percent of the districts they previously inhabited, according to the 
Tiger Census Report (TCR) released in February by the central 
government's Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF).  Earlier 
estimates of tiger numbers across India were inflated, however, so 
the actual decrease in the tiger population may not be as dramatic 
as the raw numbers suggest (reftel).  The decrease in the South is 
nonetheless not as drastic as the national figure, which fell by 
over half, and the narrative portion of the TCR indicates that South 
India's tigers may indeed be doing better than elsewhere in India. 
Even in the South, however, the animals face serious threats from 
poachers and loss of habitat.  Tiger-centric tourism is helping the 
South's tigers, but conservation efforts face an uphill struggle to 
ensure that South India's Great Cats remain on the prowl.  End 
Summary. 
 
The numbers 
----------- 
 
¶2. The TCR revealed that there are around 507 tigers in South India, 
217 fewer than the 2002 estimate.  As is the case with national 
statistics, part of this decrease can be attributed to less precise 
earlier estimates.  Continued poaching and anthropogenic pressure 
also are factors.  However, the South's numbers did not fall at the 
rate of the national figures (reftel) and Tamil Nadu's tiger 
population actually recorded an increase from approximately 60 in 
2002 to 76 currently.  According to the TCR, the tigers in 
Nagarhole-Bandipur tiger reserve, in neighboring Karnataka, are part 
of the single largest population in India and are a source of 
genetic diversification for populations in neighboring forests.  The 
interstate management of the reserve helped establish a tiger 
population with a good chance of long-term persistence, according to 
the TCR.  (Note:  The complete TCR can be found online at: 
www.wii.gov.in/publications/statusof_tigers20 08.pdf. End note.) 
 
Project Tiger's strategy in Karnataka 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. A field director with the MOEF Project Tiger mission told us that 
the relative strength of Karnataka's tiger population stems from an 
increase in tourism, forest conservation, and engagement with the 
communities who live in the immediate forest areas surrounding the 
tigers' habitat.   He also noted that the state's focus on 
conservation and tourism helped the government control poaching in 
the Nagarhole and Bandipur National Parks in the southern part of 
the state, adding that the state's distance from Nepal's black 
markets in endangered species reduced incentives for poachers to 
operate in Karnataka.  (He noted, however, that illegal items liked 
poached ivory often heads to the Middle East directly from ports in 
the neighboring state of Kerala.)   He added that the Project Tiger 
mission works with local inhabitants to curb access to firearms and 
limit the types of game the communities are allowed to hunt.  Under 
these restrictions, he said, these communities are permitted to hunt 
small game like boar, rabbit, and porcupine, which are a marginal 
portion of the tigers' prey. 
 
Poachers, policies, and genetics take a toll 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. While poaching may be less problematic in South India, it still 
poses a threat.  Both the owner of a resort in Nagarhole National 
Park and Bangalore's Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Police told us that 
poaching continues in Karnataka.  The DC told us that poaching in 
Karnataka is concentrated in the state's Charmarajar district, which 
contains the Bandipur National park.  The DC said two tiger skins 
were recently recovered from a poacher who confessed to selling one 
to an agent in Karnataka.  He added that inadequate compensation for 
farmers who lose their cattle to tigers sometimes lessens local 
communities' amenability to aid in conservation efforts. 
 
¶5. Not everyone agrees with all of Project Tiger's strategies.  A 
scientist at the Center for Ecological Sciences in Bangalore told 
us, for example, that the Tiger Project's allowance for small game 
hunting is a threat to the tiger population in the long run because 
these smaller animals are a mainstay of a tiger's diet during 
droughts. 
 
¶6. The same scientist told us that Karnataka's tigers continue to 
breed actively (the resort owner told us that at least two pairs of 
cubs were born in Nagarhole Park in the last two years), but that 
even this ostensibly positive sign posed potential long-term risks. 
He said that the tigers' relatively small population could lead to 
inbreeding, which will further stress the health and stability of 
the population.  He added that a study on the genetic profile of the 
animals is long overdue and should be considered an imperative for 
 
CHENNAI 00000114  002 OF 002 
 
 
further conservation efforts. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7. Man-made threats will continue to pressure South India's tiger 
population, but the big cats seem likely to hold their own, at least 
for a while.  Tiger tourism is becoming increasingly popular, which 
can be helpful, but is no panacea.  Government policies, sometimes 
controversial and often imperfectly implemented, also seem headed in 
the right direction.  The fact remains, however, that the South's 
tiger population remains under threat and the TCR warns that even 
the successful Nagarhole-Bandipur tiger reserve area needs further 
protection -- including the restoration of prey and its habitat -- 
to support the growth of tiger populations. 
 
¶8. This message was coordinated with Embassy New Delhi. 
 
HOPPER