VZCZCXRO6046
RR RUEHAST RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHTM
DE RUEHNE #2036/01 2070919
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250919Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2768
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 2333
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 2520
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 3262
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002036 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/FO, OES/PCI, OES/ENRC, 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 IN
SUBJECT:  INDIAN TIGERS RETURN TO SARISKA AMIDST CONTROVERSY 
 
REF A: 05 New Delhi 4673 
REF B: 07 New Delhi 5322 
 
NEW DELHI 00002036  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY:  As of July 2008, Sariska Tiger Reserve, the only 
designated tiger reserve in India to lose its entire population of 
tigers to poachers (Ref A), once again has wild tigers roaming its 
environs.  In an unprecedented and well coordinated operation 
initiated by the Rajasthan Forest Department involving the National 
Tiger Conservation Authority of the Ministry of Environment and 
Forests, senior scientists and veterinarians from the Wildlife 
Institute of India, the Indian Air Force, and the NGOs Wildlife 
Protection Society of India (WPSI) and WWF-India, two tigers were 
relocated from Ranthambore National Park to Sariska via Indian Air 
Force helicopter - despite controversy over the timing and lack of 
reforms in the tigers' new home.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) The first tiger to make the 30 minute flight was a young 
male followed six days later by a young female.  After spending a 
few days in a heavily guarded one hectare enclosure, both tigers 
have now been released into the wild.  The tigers are fitted with a 
combination satellite/radio collar and both have made kills on their 
own.  Emboffs discussed the operation with the major players 
involved and learned that while the controversial relocation itself 
was a success, very few of the problems that lead to the original 
tigers demise have been resolved. 
 
----------------------- 
TIGER AS POLITICAL PAWN 
----------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) The plan to relocate tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska had 
been discussed in governmental and NGO circles for over two years 
with leading conservationists expressing strong reservations against 
the relocation until the existing problems in Sariska had been 
resolved.  Sariska has two major State highways passing through it, 
a temple that receives over 200,000 pilgrims each year, and three 
villages located inside the reserve.  All of these factors 
negatively impact the tigers' habitat and to date, none of them have 
been resolved.  (NOTE: A fourth village was moved outside the park 
prior to the reintroduction. END NOTE)  In addition, Sariska has 
marble and dolomite mines surrounding it, many or which operate 
illegally, as well as a strong mining lobby which has been pushing 
to de-notify the park as a tiger reserve in order to open it up to 
legal mining operations. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Belinda Wright, the high-profile Executive Director of 
WPSI, had long been opposed to relocating tigers to Sariska until 
the problems had been resolved but recently changed her position and 
came out publicly in favor of the relocation.  In a conversation 
with EmbOffs, Ms. Wright, who was present at Ranthambore when the 
tigers were airlifted to Sariska and who played a role in the 
selection of which tigers to relocate, stated that after speaking to 
park officials, she was convinced that the time was "politically" 
right to move ahead with the relocation.  She said that the loss of 
tigers in Sariska was a tremendous loss of face for the Rajasthan 
government led by BJP Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and that the 
tigers had to be reintroduced before upcoming elections in November. 
 Ms. Wright said she was convinced that if tigers were not relocated 
to Sariska during Raje's tenure, political will for the relocation 
would evaporate. 
 
¶5.  (U) Ms. Wright acknowledged that Sariska continues to face the 
same problems that existed earlier and stated it was unlikely that 
the highways would get rerouted or the temple closed.  She did note 
one village had been relocated and efforts are underway to relocate 
the other three villages.  Her main point however was the fact that 
tigers existed in Sariska even with the temple and highways and that 
they had been wiped out by poaching which was allowed to occur due 
to apathy on the part of park officials who did not provide adequate 
protection or monitoring.  Apathy, she continued, was no longer a 
problem at Sariska and noted that careers were on the line with the 
reintroduction.  She concluded by stating that park officials "will 
be finished if it does not succeed." 
 
¶6.  (SBU) EmbOffs also met with WWF-India Secretary General Ravi 
Singh who was present in Sariska and met the helicopter when the 
first tiger was relocated.  When pressed regarding the timing of the 
relocations, he stated that pressure from the mining lobby against 
the reintroduction had been mounting and that if the relocation had 
not taken place when it did, the park would be taken over by the 
mining mafia.  Ms. Wright had also addressed the mining issue and 
stated the lobby had paid a local politician to stir up anti-tiger 
sentiments in the villages around the park.  Mr. Singh went on to 
say that any relocation is fraught with risk and that there will 
 
NEW DELHI 00002036  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
never be a perfect time for reintroduction.  He said "one just has 
to take the leap" and that the presence of tigers will give the 
necessary impetus to resolve the longstanding issues in Sariska. 
 
------------------------------- 
THE FUTURE OF TIGERS IN SARISKA 
------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (U) The two tigers reintroduced into Sariska are currently well 
protected.  Ex-paramilitary forces are deployed in the park along 
with regular forest guards, and patrolling has increased.  In 
addition, the satellite collars allow for daily, although not 
continuous, tracking of the tigers depending on satellite coverage 
over the park.  EmbOffs also received conflicting reports of the 
presence of 250 armed Rajasthani constabulary protecting the two 
tigers.  In a telephone conversation with EmbOffs, the Rajasthan 
Forest Department's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Mr. R.N. 
Mehrotra, was upbeat about the safety of the tigers and hoped they 
would soon mate.  He also said he had been deluged with requests 
from around the world to view the tigers but was maintaining a 
moratorium on tourists until October 1, 2008.  In addition, Mr. 
Mehrotra confirmed plans to relocate three more tigers to Sariska 
from Ranthambore, two females and a male, within the next year.  He 
concluded the conversation by once again thanking EmbOffs for the 
Embassy's November 2007 Wildlife Crime Workshop in which Embassy 
funds supported the training of both Ranthambore and Sariska forest 
guards (Ref B).  He also stated the Rajasthan Forest Department 
welcomed further U.S. collaboration on tiger and other wildlife 
conservation issues and would be willing to consider any 
conservation proposals the U.S. may have. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Ravi Singh however was a bit more skeptical regarding the 
future stating the female tiger had had trouble adjusting to its new 
environs; an observation shared by Belinda Wright who noted the 
tigress had shown signs of restlessness, and while in its enclosure 
had not made any attempts to kill prey.  This behavior contrasts 
with that of the male tiger which quickly adapted to its new home. 
However, Mr. Mehrotra stated officials tracking the tigers after 
their release from the enclosure confirmed that both had made kills 
and that the male was exploring territory.  Mr. Singh expressed 
reservations whether the tigers will breed this year, mainly due to 
the age of the female tiger which, in his opinion, was too young. 
This sentiment was not shared by Ms. Wright or Mr. Mehrotra. 
 
¶9.  (U) Conservationists agree that no conservation or relocation 
plan can be successful without the support of the local communities 
and villagers in and around Sariska have had mixed opinions.  A 
villager living near Sariska told Ms. Wright she was happy to see 
tigers come back as criminal elements had increased since Sariska's 
tigers disappeared.  A villager living inside the park told Ravi 
Singh she welcomed the tigers return as they helped to thin out weak 
and diseased cattle in her family's herds.  However, many villagers 
have not been wholly welcoming of the new tigers or the reforms 
needed to protect them.  Media reports indicate villagers have been 
protesting the idea of banning heavy vehicles on the state highways 
in the park and are completely unwilling to use a longer diversion 
road for the sake of the tiger.  They also will not tolerate any 
regulation of pilgrim traffic to the park's temple.  In addition, 
there is concern the mining lobby will once again support poaching. 
 
 
¶10.  (SBU) COMMENT:  While it was clear to EmbOffs that the 
relocation was a well planned and executed operation, there is no 
doubt the parties concerned, both governmental and non-governmental, 
were not wholly confident of success.  Despite the fact this 
relocation was unprecedented, of worldwide interest, and highly 
dramatic - the male tiger woke up in flight and the helicopter sank 
into the mud in Sariska when it landed, no film crews were allowed 
during the operation and no films of any kind were made.  In 
addition, Rajasthan is using these two tigers in the same role as a 
staked goat hoping the tigers presence will force the reforms needed 
to protect them.  Although Rajasthan and the NGOs have made great 
strides in tiger conservation in Ranthambore, which now has more 
tigers than its carrying capacity, they have put the cart before the 
horse in Sariska and if they fail, it will not only mean the end of 
government careers as Ms. Wright stated, but NGO reputations as 
well. 
 
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