The very sight of a tiger sends Adrenaline rushing. For several decades Big Game hunting brought tigers’ to near extinction the world over. India presents a different picture though. It is because of people like Mr Rangaiah Srinivasa Murthy, a 1987-batch IFS officer, the country is home to more than 70 per cent tigers in the world. After all tigers had fallen to rampant poaching, Mr Murthy not only persuaded the erstwhile royalties of Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand regions of Madhya Pradesh, to give up hunting the Big Cat but also managed to convince them to contribute in conservation of India’s national animal.
Please click here to watch the first episode of his interview-
Talking to Mr Murthy about his Panna stint is a treat, few get to savour. Time flies and one remains glued to the story. Besides being a conservationist and a legendary forester, Mr Murthy is a raconteur par excellence. His narration has all elements of a movie screenplay. No wonder a film is being planned on his exploits in Panna, besides of course a book in both Hindi and English.
Panna’s story is that of potboiler – full of suspense, drama, comedy, romance and of course a happy ending. When Mr Murthy was posted in Panna Tiger Reserve as Field Director in May 2009, there was no tiger, means no male tiger left. There were only two tigresses, which had been brought barely two months ago from other Tiger Reserves like Pench and Kanha. They had been named T1 and T2, as per their arrival in Panna.
But, without a male tiger, they were in no position to complete their family, let alone expand it. But, when Mr Murthy was transferred out five years later, he left Panna reverberating with the roars of as many as 32 tigers.
Interestingly, Panna today is home to more than 90 tigers – all progenies of T1, T2, T4, T5 and their male counterpart named T3. (Please listen the Story of T4 and T5 in our next episode to be aired shortly).
So, what did Mr Murthy do in Panna? Did he have a magic wand, which he waved and tigers started surviving and proliferating there? No, it’s a story of foresters burning midnight oil, for not one or two days but over several months. It’s a story of grit and determination. A story of moves and counter-moves between man and the best. It’s also a story of outwitting one of the most cunning animals, at his own game. Let me not spoil the fun. Please watch the interview for full details.
