Broken Tail .... broken grail

18th February 2011

Normally it takes me a while to calm down from gushing wildlife documentaries which are full of romantic nonsense and ludicrously facile solutions. Last night's fascinating rites of passage on BBC following Broken Tail's extraordinary last journey was superb. Well produced, hauntingly filmed and poignantly presented it followed the remarkable journey of this young tiger to its ultimate demise 150 kms way. iPlayer is designed for those who missed it (watch it on iplayer here) but some of the conservation points were particularly pertinent in this, the year of Worth More Alive ll.

US$100 is the reward for a dead tiger, a figure that rises exponentially along the dead food chain before finally scaling a dizzying financial peak on the slab of a Chinese medicine dealer. It is no use just blaming the Chinese, although their absurd remedies are medically proven to be useless, there was also footage last night of posh colonialists (Big Shite Hunters) shooting countless defenceless animals in between Pimms and tiffin. However the critical point which I have been banging on about ad nauseam is that the only well protected forests in India are those with tigers. Butcher the last of them and there is no more primary forest, period. The marvellous presenter said ' it is not just about saving fluffy animals'. This is so true, those equally fluffy B and C listers who proliferate this cloying sentimental bilge do nothing for the species, only for their own languishing egos. The real problem is buffer zones. Ranthambore has a half million people living round its fringes, this will always lead to transgressions as tigers will always pick a slow goat or buffalo over a fleet footed spotted deer..

In Bandavgarh there are similar problems but less people. Currently if a tiger kills cattle the farmer can wait years trying to bisect a hundred levels of bureaucracy before getting compensation. How does he feel about tigers .... exactly. That changes, now!

$10,000 should be enough compensation for the whole park for at least five years, money that will be paid immediately that is project No1 with this year's money raised. That is just the start and I will keep you informed of the other projects for this year. When everyone in and around this reserve understands and feels the benefit of their striped neighbour it has a chance. I cannot comment on whether the species will disappear but I do know that tiger forums in Russia or crying by NGO's and governments does little or nothing as the demand from across the border is venality high.

What I do know that even if they just continue to survive in a few strongholds, Bandhavgarh will be one of them. To quote from last night ' this is the most popular animal in the world' - this is both subjective and debatable, but losing them from this beautiful reserve in Madhya Pradesh is not going to happen.

Thank you to all donors, tell your friends.