Rapid deployable teams can help manage man-tiger conflict

Ooty: N. Mohanraj, consultant, WWF-India, advocated the creation of a rapid deployable team and tiger monitoring team to manage the man-tiger conflict in future in the hills here.

He said there are chances that aged and wounded tigers that are evicted from their territory by dominant tigers, may try to stray into human habitations and lead to the emergence of the man-tiger conflict in the future in the highland parts of Nilgiris where the tiger population has begun to show a promising increase.

To tackle this issue, he said there is need to create rapid deployable teams (RDB) and tiger monitoring teams (TMTs) with trained professionals and sophisticated tools and gadgets with a full-fledged veterinarian on duty.  This will help tranquilize, capture and relocate tigers in conflict areas. The RDB team should be trained to quickly respond to situations that may stem from man-tiger conflict.

The TMT may take stock of the situation in the conflict sensitive zones to tackle the man-animal conflict without any damage to both wildlife as well as the human populace. This will go a long way in tiger conservation as well as managing the man-tiger conflict in the future, he suggested.