On the third edition of Royal Ranthambore International Tiger Week in Sawaimadhopur, Rajasthan, former Punjab governor and wildlife expert V P Singh Badnore said on Saturday that human settlements close to tigers’ territory are dangerous for both.

He pointed out that Initiatives have always been taken to relocate villages near tiger movement areas, reducing human-tiger conflict. “If territories become smaller and tiger populations increase, they will end up fighting each other to death,” he added.

He said tigers now cover long distances to reach other forests to avoid conflict with humans. An example of this is tigers from Ranthambore going all the way to Sariska to expand their population.

Speaking on the occasion, IFS Somasekhar and WWF’s Director General Ravi Singh dwelt at length on ways to check poaching and illegal trafficking to ensure conservation.

He mentioned about poachers killing tigers and sending their body parts to China and other countries via Nepal for use in medicine. “It is crucial for local people and the administration to be vigilant against tiger poaching. The Forest Department is using foreign tracking technology and camera monitoring,” he said.

Another big cat expert A K Raha highlighted the impact of climate change on the reproduction of tigers. Each region has its own flora and fauna, air, and water, which, when changed, cause physical changes in animals, Raha said. Tigers near the Sundarbans delta survive on salty water, while tigers in Rajasthan cannot, emphasizing the need to save forests and climate.

It is worth mentioning that whenever the topic of tiger population comes up, the world’s attention turns towards India. At the core of India’s ethos lies the value of wildlife conservation, which is why we have been able to secure 70 per cent of the world’s tiger population here.

To make the world of tigers beautiful and safe and to celebrate this mission as a festival, the third edition of Royal Ranthambore International Tiger Week, organised by the organization Live4 Freedom founded by Anand Bhardwaj, Navroze D. Dhondy, and Sunil Mangal, saw experts discuss various topics during the deliberations.

Individuals, who have excelled in tiger and environmental conservation, were honored. A documentary of internationally acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Subbiah Nalla Muthu was screened for everyone to see the life of tigers up close. Schoolchildren also participated in the event while nature enthusiasts enjoyed the tiger safari.

The chief guest for the occasion, Badnore, conservationist Rajpal Singh, and IFS Somasekhar shed light on tiger population and management.