Warden adopts  tiger cubs orphaned after their mother was poached

Warden adopts tiger cubs orphaned after their mother was poached

07/29/2019

Touching footage shows warden battling to keep orphaned tiger cubs alive in Indian reserve after their mother was poached – as it’s revealed the big cats are ‘skewered alive’ to preserve their fur

  • Yogendra Singh took on two 10-day-old orphaned cubs Bhandhav and Bhandavi
  • Warden spends his time bottle-feeding them every two hours and rearing them 
  • ITV documentary Counting Tigers – A Survival Special is on at 9pm on Tuesday 
  • Two adult tigers are killed a week with their paws trapped inside metal jaws 
  • While incapacitated the tiger is skewered through the mouth and from behind 
  • Count of wild tiger population done every 4 years shows finally risen by 700

The heartwarming dedication of park rangers in India is documented as they fight to conserve the wild tiger population, in ITV documentary Counting Tigers – A Survival Special. 

The show, which airs on Tuesday evening, shows a warden, Yogendra Singh, who adopted two young abandoned tiger cubs Bhandhav and Bhandavi, whose mother is thought to have been poached for the illegal fur market.

The cubs were just 10 days old when they were found battling the wintry elements and hours away from death, before they were taken to the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in central India.

As the cubs aren’t out of the danger zone until they are 180 days old, Yogendra decided to take on the challenge of hand-rearing them, getting up every few hours to bottle-feed them, and caring for them ‘like his own children’.

ITV documentary Counting Tigers – A Survival Special shows a warden, Yogendra Singh, who adopted two young abandoned tiger cubs Bhandhav and Bhandavi, whose mother is thought to have been poached for the illegal fur market (seen)

Touching footage shows Yogendra grooming them, playing with them and feeding them every two hours, as it’s revealed that the youngsters are still vulnerable.

And his efforts appear to be paying off, as a number count which is done by conservationists of the wild tiger population every four years shows that they have finally risen – by 700. 

The count, undertaken by the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India and chronicled in the programme, which is narrated by Joanna Lumley and presented by conservationist Martin Hughes-Games, is the first fully scientific survey of the Indian tiger population ever undertaken.

Their results show the number of wild tigers in the country has risen from 2,226 four years ago to 2,967 – a rise of 741. It is understood to be the biggest rise in tiger numbers in the wild since records began.

As the cubs aren’t out of the danger zone until they are 180 days old, Yogendra decided to take on the challenge of hand-rearing them, getting up every few hours to bottle-feed them, and caring for them ‘like his own children’

The cubs were just 10 days old when they were found battling the wintry elements and hours away from death, before they were taken to the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in central India.

A joyful scene in the show sees Dr Yadvendradev Jhala, of the Wildlife Institute of India, and lead scientist in the official tiger count, sharing the findings.

He exclaims: ‘The population has gone up!  We didn’t expect this, but it has, and that’s incredible. I think the increase is in those areas where already tiger numbers were high. That is something which is difficult for us to imbibe. 

‘We were thinking they had reached the carrying capacity, but many of these areas [have gone up] and that’s what has added to the number, basically.’

Wildlife campaigner Martin, who tracks the count in the programme, responds to the news that numbers had increased, by saying: ‘I have to say that when I arrived here I was so worried about what the count was going to reveal.

Touching footage shows Yogendra grooming them, playing with them and feeding them every two hours, as it’s revealed that the youngsters are still vulnerable.

The tigers are responding well to his care, but they are not out of the woods until they reach 180 days

One of the cubs is seen attempting a little roar, after it was found at just 10 days old in freezing conditions

But having seen what’s going on, having seen the figures come in, I’m quietly confident despite all the challenges this animal faces, the tiger is going to continue to survive here in India. So I can go home quietly happy.’

There are now believed to be fewer than 4,000 wild tigers worldwide, and India is home to an estimated 60 per cent of those left. If India’s numbers were down this year, it could have sounded the death knell for this most iconic of predators.

Trophy hunters, poachers and basic human expansion have all devastated tiger populations by ravaging the habitats they live in. It is estimated that tiger numbers on the planet have decreased by more than 95 percent in the past century alone.

Currently, two tigers are killed every week by poachers, and often their cubs are left orphaned to fend for themselves in the wild with few making it to adulthood.

One of the cubs is seen taking a rest from playing with its sibling, as wardens keep a close eye

Cheeky cubs Bhandhav and Bhandavi are seen exploring the park they are being brought up in

Following the work of wardens and scientists across the beautiful landscapes of India, Martin Hughes-Games tracks the new count from start to finish as it uses the latest technology to determine numbers.

He says: ‘India is a country that’s industrialising incredibly fast. There are roads and railways lines and industries everywhere you look, and of course, human needs will always come before those of wildlife. So, the tiger populations are being isolated more and more. So it’s becoming more difficult for the tiger to survive in this country.’

Camera traps photograph more than 30,000 tiger images, their stripes, like fingerprints, used to identify each individual tiger, while special mobile phone mapping apps and DNA analysis are also employed. 

Martin also explores the tigers’ territory – as counting them can be a dangerous business. In the Mangrove swamps of Sunderbans, tigers have adapted to become lighter and more fleet of foot. Park wardens can easily become trapped in the muddy marshlands and become prey. More than 30 people die each year as a result of marshland tiger attacks.

He discovers that in at least one of India’s 50 conservation parks, the tiger is now tragically extinct, and can only hope some of the other parks have shown a growth in numbers to compensate.

And his efforts appear to be paying off, as a number count which is done by conservationists of the wild tiger population every four years shows that they have finally risen – by 700. A wild tiger is seen

Trophy hunters, poachers and basic human expansion have all devastated tiger populations by ravaging the habitats they live in. It is estimated that tiger numbers on the planet have decreased by more than 95 percent in the past century alone

Poachers usually capture an adult tiger by its paw in a trap with metal jaws, and while incapacitated the tiger is then skewered through the mouth and from behind, to avoid damaging the valuable fur. But poachers are not after the fur alone – there is a huge demand for tiger products in China and South East Asia.

Debbie Banks from the Environmental Investigation Agency explains the appeal for some of tiger products. 

She says: ‘Almost every part of the tiger unfortunately has a value in the market. Skins are used as luxury home décor to put on the floor, on the wall, on the sofa. 

‘It’s a market that caters to those who want to show off their power, their wealth and their status. Tiger bone is used in medicine to treat rheumatism and arthritis, but it’s also used to make a tonic wine as a general bone-strengthening tonic. 

‘Is often purchased as a prestigious gift if you want to bribe an official or win a contract, you might gift a bottle of tiger bone wine.

‘At some places it is sold as a virility product. Its teeth and claws, which are valued as jewellery items. Again non-essential, it’s all luxury. There’s absolutely no essential reason why a tiger body part should be traded.’

ITV documentary Counting Tigers – A Survival Special airs Tuesday at 9pm 

 

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