Get ready for tiger darshan at Rajaji

Jotirmay Thapliyal In Dehradun

It was considered the most vulnerable wildlife protected area of Uttarakhand. Today, Rajaji National Park has a thriving tiger population: 34 with 5 cubs recorded in the recent tiger census. The 2015 count was 16. The latest figures have surprised tiger conservators and biologists.

Encompassing 744 sq km, the park in Uttarakhand came up by amalgamating three sanctuaries — Rajaji, Motichur and Chilla — in 1983 in memory of late C Rajgopalachari, popularly known as Rajaji. The biggest achievement of this protected area came on April 15, 2015, when it was converted into a tiger reserve.

Surrounded by Haridwar and Rishikesh with a big industrial area, the park always had porous borders making it most vulnerable to poaching and other anti-wildlife activities. Acute forest staff shortage, Gujjar rehabilitation, securing corridors and illegal felling have haunted those managing the reserve, also known for its wild elephant population.

Over the years, Gujjars and other villagers have largely been rehabilitated and key elephant corridors secured inside the reserve. So, a healthy rise in tiger population was only expected. 

World Wide Fund for Nature-India’s senior officer Dr Anil Kumar Singh has been closely following Rajaji for several decades. He says the rising population of tigers will boost the conservation efforts in the region. “Flow of funds to the park will increase, as also the attention of various government and private conservation bodies.” 

Rajaji Tiger Reserve’s director Sanatan Sonkar says the authorities have photographic proof of each tiger in the reserve. “Forest guards in respective ranges have been told to keep a daily tab on tigers to ensure security. Staff shortage is a big challenge, especially after the rise in the tiger count. The pressure on us is just too much,” said the director. 

Before Rajaji Tiger Reserve took shape, Uttarakhand had only one such precinct – Corbett Tiger Reserve. Obviously, eco-tourism was only Corbett-centric. “Corbett gets overcrowded with wildlife enthusiasts. But this time, Rajaji holds a lot of promise,” says Sandeep Sahani, a tour operator. 

The Rajaji reserve is also set to witness first tiger relocation for the state by this year-end. Such relocations are limited in the country —Sariska and Panna are only two cases. Under the Rajaji relocation plan, the wildlife authorities are planning to bring in some big cats in almost a tiger-less western sector of the park, which will further give a fillip to the conservation efforts.