The Proposed Introduction of the Great One Horned Rhinoceros in Corbett Tiger Reserve Uttarakhand. How far advisable?

 

Shri V.B.Sawarker, IFS (Retd) , Former Director of Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun

and Dr SP Sinha,

 

 

Genesis

 

The Great one horned rhinoceros, hereinafter referred to as rhino was Red Listed by IUCN as an endangered species since 1986. In 2008 it was downgraded to the status vulnerable. It however widely continues to be considered endangered in the country owing to its restricted geographical distribution, the unabated threat of poaching and now shifts in the climate, consequently the hydrological regimes. Rhino is listed under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, thus providing the species the highest degree of protection and conservation priority under the law.

 

On 26^th November 2019 during the 14^th Meeting of the Uttarakhand State Board for Wildlife (UKSBWL) a decision was taken to ‘reintroduce’ the rhino in the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR). As per the set procedure the proposal would have to go to the Indian Board for Wildlife (IBWL), Government of India for its consideration and decision.

 

Sources of six newspapers viz. the PTI, Hindustan Times, Pioneer, the Times of India, Express News Service and Dailyhunt mention among other aspects of the decision of the UKSBWL about reintroduction of the rhino, that it stands to ‘boost tourism’ in CTR as one of the outcomes. It needs to be stated that wildlife tourism in the country although commonly referred to as Eco-tourism is nowhere near the accepted definition of the term—being unquestionably run as mass tourism and money making industry as its sole purpose. The tourism industry has a powerful clout and there are signs of the times that it has started dictating unethical management practices within the protected areas and tiger reserves, precisely in those that are the most popular visitor destinations. Another example besides the one under discussion is the proposal in Madhya Pradesh to reintroduce the highly zoo inbred white tiger into the Sanjay Dubri tiger reserve to pander to visitor curiosity and attraction with conservation ethics taking a back seat. Records indicate that the first white tiger was found in this area during 1915. But the celebrated example pertains to the orphaned (?) white tiger cub found by the Maharaja of Rewa in 1951 that was named Mohan. The white tigers in zoos are descendants of Mohan. This reintroduction has no conservation value at all and such influence by the tourism lobby and those others who are intent to support it are setting very dangerous portents.

 Four out of the six newspapers cited above have referred to the decision of UKSBWL as being considered an ‘Experimental Reintroduction’, something that does not exist in any guideline for the purpose, especially in case of a Red Listed species and those listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 that carry the highest conservation priority.