Post Sariska - Are Wild Tigers Secure Today? Post the Sariska and Panna debacles, several apparently positive steps have been initiated to save the tiger, but something is missing. India’s planners are not committed to protecting wild India. Creating new reserves, or even pumping huge sums of money into protecting tiger habitats will do the cat little good if tiger habitats continue to be mauled under direct orders from the Prime Minister of India’s office. Forest after forest is under assault by mines, dams, roads and encroachments that are tacitly supported by vote-seeking Indian politicians. One consequence is rising human-wildlife conflict. Another is accelerating climate change whose impact becomes more severe and more evident with every passing day. No lessons were learned from Sariska, say Lakshmy Raman and Bittu Sahgal.
Sanctuary Asia, India's leading wildlife, conservation and environment magazine, was started by Editor Bittu Sahgal in 1981 to raise awareness among Indians of their disappearing natural heritage. Sanctuary is at the fulcrum of several wildlife conservation campaigns and serves as a network for wildlife groups, concerned individuals and non-profit organisations. It is also a source of information for press and television reporters. Our focus is the Indian subcontinent and Asia, but our horizon spans the globe.
