We saw Disneynature’s “Tigers on the Rise” documentary recently. It is a continuation of their excellent work on Tiger. Tigers on the Rise delves into the day-to-day complexities of a growing tiger population in a country with high population density. 4 reflections –
(1) The first requirement for conservation is to transform the economy. For example, tigers, deer, and farmers were near the Tadoba national reserve were in constant conflict when farmers took their cows to graze. The forest officials then changed the rules and offered farmers cash incentives to take their cows away from the reserve.
That meant more deer and more tigers – this, in turn, meant more revenue from tourism for the local community and for the National park system. A nice example of systems change.
(2) In areas near National reserves, tigers often prey on cows. One intervention that has worked remarkably well is painting a pair of eyes on a cow’s backside. It gives the tiger the impression it is being watched.
Small creatives changes can have meaningful impact.
(3) A lovely part of the documentary was the spotlight on the city of Bhopal. The citizens of Bhopal have shown a remarkable acceptance toward tigers in the city’s landscape. The female tiger the documentary followed did her part too – always stepping out late at night once her human neighbors were asleep.
Incredible.
(4) The documentary did a great job emphasizing themes of education, action , tolerance, and balance. For example, they go to lengths to educate villagers surrounding tiger habitat to leave the forest by evening and to avoid crouching.
Tigers avoid humans as a rule. But a crouching human can look like prey.
When an unfortunate tiger killing happens, the conservation team immediately takes action, locating the tiger, and transferring him/her to a zoo. They’ve also begun experimenting with proactive action – moving tigers from human-dense areas to forests where they can find mates.
But, most of all, it emphasizes the importance of tolerance and the work it takes to keep our ecosystems in balance.
A lovely documentary full of lessons for all of us. Exceptional work, Disneynature team – well played!
