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> Wildlife Sanctuaries in India
> Dudhwa |
| Dudhwa National Park |
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Insider Tips |
• Try not to do too much in too little
time, irrespective of the temptation to try and fit everything
into one trip.
• Allow yourself some leisure so that
Dudhwa can soak into your city bones!
• Remember to
dress in muted greens or browns , which are 'forest tones' and
maintain silence to improve your chances of sighting animals.
• Don't forget to bring your binoculars and a decent bird
book. Listen for bird sounds. Sometimes you may hear them first,
so follow the sound to spot them.
• It is vital to
obtain a clearance certificate before leaving the park, or you
could lose time retracing your steps.
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Survival Guide |
• You are in a remote location. The nearest
banks and medical facilities are available at Palia and Lakhimpur-Kheri.
Dudhwa has a post-office.
• You will probably have
to cook for yourself. Provisions must be brought in from Palia.
Only crockery and utensils are available at the Rest House.
At Dudhwa alone, there is minimal canteen facility with prior
intimation.
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History / Geography |
| Before Independence, Dudhwa was an untamed land
of marshes, grasslands and dense forests. Menacing malarial
mosquitoes, recurrent plague and oppressive famines were associated
with the region, making it rather inhospitable to humans, but
perfect for wildlife. By the 1950s, the marshes and grasslands
were largely replaced by sugarcane and paddy. Under the guise
of crop protection, the tiger and the gond, which is the local
name for the barasingha, suffered terribly at the hands of poachers.
In 1968, Billy Arjan Singh, operating out of his farm in
Kheri, which he christened 'Tiger Haven', began his battle
to protect Dudhwa. His efforts resulted in an area of 212
sq km being declared as 'Dudhwa Sanctuary' in the same year.
With protection, the habitat improved and soon people began
to talk of the magic spell woven by nature, with help from
Billy. It was only a matter of time before Dudhwa's fame spread
and it was declared a National Park in 1977. Thereafter, no
disturbance or non-wildlife oriented land management of any
kind was legally permitted. But it took another 10 years before
it was brought under the purview of Project Tiger.
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Legends |
Dudhwa, even to the uninitiated, is the story
of Billy Arjan Singh's lifetime devotion to the cats that hope
to survive here. Both Billy and Dudhwa have been the focus of
conflict and debate. The story of Tara the tigress, hand reared
and released by Billy Arjan Singh into Dudhwa's wilds, is a
legend. This experiment was mired in controversy with experts
suggesting that the 'tame' zoo-born tigress had turned man-killer
and that she would would have to be fed by humans till the day
she died. Billy's contribution to the tigers of Dudhwa is nevertheless
irrefutable.
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Conservation Notes |
| Though Dudhwa has been protected since 1968,
some species have not reaped the benefits of this protection.
Chausingha, which were believed to be inhabitants of the district
in the late 1800s, have now vanished. The wild dog or dhole
has become locally extinct and the blackbuck hasn't made an
appearance since 1984. The number of leopards is dwindling,
so also are nilgai and sloth bears.
Dudhwa is one of the most fragile wildlife preserves, constantly
battling the multiple pressures of old practices and traditions,
non-existent local support, commercial exploitation of wood
and forest produce and the omnipresent poachers. It is one
of the few struggling remnants of the diverse and prolific
terai ecosystem. A large number of rare and endangered species
including the swamp deer, hispid hare, tiger, leopard, Bengal
Florican fight for survival here.
The swamp deer is threatened because of interference in its
annual rut. The crops growing in close proximity to the park's
periphery affect the leisurely wallowing, an intrinsic part
of their lives. All farmers have guns to 'protect' their crops,
but the fine line between protection and poaching is often
traversed without provocation. The Ghola and Gajrola districts
are especially notorious for gun-totting. The tiger habitat
faces constant provocation from humans who encroach here.
The villagers also follow the ruinous nikasi system (hundreds
swarm into the forest with bullock carts each year, to collect
wood, thatch grass and other forest produce).
Fortunately, this has been banned. The terai is a quintessential
tiger turf and keeping humans and tigers apart from each other
is a vital part of the park manager's duties.
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Suggested Reading |
• Sanctuary Asia, Vol IX No.1, Jan./March
1989 Dudhwa by Ravi Sankaran.
• Sanctuary Asia, Vol
IV No.3, July/Sept. 1984 A Flight of Rhinos by Samar Singh.
• Tiger Haven by 'Billy' Arjan Singh edited by John Moorehead.
Macmillan London Limited. 1973.
• Curling up with
Tiger Haven, a book by Billy Arjan Singh at bedtime will set
you up well for the next day's safari. The book discusses the
problems the tiger faces at Dudhwa and the gradual building
of the envisioned 'Tiger Haven' through his efforts. Besides
providing an interesting insight into the habits and habitat
of the tiger, Billy's own transition from sportsman to conservationist
makes for fascinating reading. "As the time approaches
for final extinction, for me as an individual, and for the tiger
as a race, I feel that I should share my thoughts with my countrymen,
many of whom do care, for the demoralising extinction of processes
of evolution of animate creations, by the rapacity of the human
race'' That was Billy, in 'The Last Hurrah'.
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