Fate of tigers in India presented at SNRAS lecture

From left, Associate Professor Susan Todd, Anish Andheria, Archana Bali.

When SNRAS doctoral student Archana Bali was a graduate student at the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, India, she was impressed with the passion of Anish Andheria for large predators. After Bali moved to Alaska she asked Andheria to visit UAF to talk about his work and he promised one day he would.

He was true to his word last week when he gave a public lecture and spoke to a student club on campus. Andheria, who is director of the Wildlife Conservation Trust and lives in Mumbai, said his trip to Alaska was a fantastic experience. He was excited that while visiting Denali National Park he saw wolves, grizzly bears, and twenty moose.

“No matter where you are, if you have passion for wildlife you feel at home,” Andheria said. “You will be in the arms of mother nature.”

When a member of the audience at his Sept. 8 lecture asked why he came so far to talk about tigers, Andheria said, “It’s not about the distance. Both places are grappling with conservation issues. When I talk to people I learn from the experience.”

He said by conversing with park rangers at Denali he learned new things. “Wherever you go the problems are the same; the magnitudes are different,” he said.

With India’s population of 1.2 billion, Andheria said it is easy to understand why conservation is difficult, yet so crucial. “The balance is very delicate,” he said. “It has been so fine-tuned for millions of years we don’t even understand it. Every organism has a role in the chain of life too complicated to fully understand.”

The country, with its very diverse habitats and ten distinct climate zones, is home to some species that are not found anywhere else in the world. India has 600 national parks and sanctuaries. In ancient times, Indians believed the forest was the mother to all rivers. “It is a magical land protected by majestic mountains,” Andheria said.

It is also home to some of the world’s most fascinating wildlife, including 1,300 species of birds, 280 of snakes, and 400 of mammals. “It’s a very happening place in terms of wildlife,” Andheria said.

Since 1972 India has banned hunting of wildlife, but poachers take the animals to sell the skins to Europe and bones to China.

“The presence of leopards, lions, or tigers indicates the forest is healthy,” Andheria said. “To save the tigers we must save the forests. The heart of the country is the forest.”

A hundred years ago India’s land consisted of 22 percent thick forests; now forests cover only 4.5 percent. “You cannot allow this habitat to shrink any further.” In 1900 India had 40,000 tigers; now there are 1,400. A fact that further complicates conservation is that the forests are home to millions of indigenous people who need resources too. The rapidly changing climate is also causing more species to face extinction.

As director of the Wildlife Conservation Trust, Andheria works with children to help educate them about the importance of India’s wildlife. “If not for us we need to do something for the next generation,” he said.

“Despite all the challenges people around the forest face they have in their hearts a respect for the forest. Indians have an umbilical cord with nature that is unique and we need to utilize that. We need to figure out our roots and rely on research.”

SNRAS students who would like to volunteer to work with Andheria are welcome to contact him, but should plan at least six months in advance of a trip to India.