3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue 1 & 2 Jan - Apr 2 3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue | Page 39

wildlife they will act like its guardians and
wildlife will become more secure. It’s important
to remember that tourists are the tiger’s best
friends. In zones where tourists are allowed,
tigers rarely go
missing whereas many go
missing in regions where tourists are not
allowed. Over the last few years, the number of
tigers in India has grown dramatically thanks
to the efforts of those who started as wildlife
tourists. There has also been a similar growth in
the number of elephants and leopards in India
because of the efforts of wildlife tourists.
Allowing
a
large
number
of
tourists
to visit wildlife reserves is like crowd sourcing
the
security
of
the
wildlife
in
such
parks.
Hence
the
number
of
tigers
continues to grow in Indian reserves and
when the census numbers of tigers are
released in January and February of next
year, undoubtedly they will show that the
number of tigers has grown once again.
Other Ways Wildlife Tourism Helps Conserve
Wildlife
Although there have been instances where
visitors to sanctuaries have harmed such
sanctuaries, often tourists who visit sanctuaries
are the sanctuaries best friend and their greatest
benefactors. Visitors to sanctuaries don’t
expect to visit just once in their lifetime, they
actually expect to visit sanctuaries their entire
lives and so it is in their interest to make sure
such sanctuaries remain as they are so that
future generations can continue to enjoy them.
The young children who visit such sanctuaries
along with their parents often enjoy giving
names to the animals they see and when they
visit such parks again they look forward to
seeing the same animal. Tourists also often
help keep sanctuaries clean. It’s not uncommon
for visitors to sanctuaries to help pick up
garbage left behind in sanctuaries. While in the
past the disposing of garbage inside sanctuaries
may have been common, it is far less so today
and many visitors to such sanctuaries help
authorities dispose of garbage that had been
left behind by others.
Additional Steps to Conserve Wildlife
Much of the money earned by a park is used to
help conserve its wildlife. However what is less
well known is that the money collected from
visitors to a park is placed in a combined
treasury where it is distributed to many
national parks and sanctuaries in the country. So,
as stated earlier, while visitors to parks ensure
Vol 4 | Issue 1 |Jan - Feb 2019
the safety of wildlife, the money spent by
tourists may not benefit the park that is most
popular among tourists. For the better mainte-
nance of parks, it should be mandated that the
sum spent by tourists in a certain park be used
in the same park rather than be placed in a
common treasury. This ensures that parks that
offer tourists the best experience will benefit
monetarily while those which don’t will have to
find ways to attract tourists. Such competition
is necessary to ensure national parks and
sanctuaries remain attractive tourist destination
for centuries to come.
The Need to Preserve Wildlife
Without wildlife, there would be no tourists to
exotic wildlife preserves and sanctuaries in
India. Hence those who travel to wildlife
preserves and national parks are partners
in the conservation of nature and wildlife.
Second to those who work in national
parks, perhaps no one loves wildlife more than
those who eagerly visit national parks hoping
to catch a glimpse of wildlife. Such tourists will
ensure that future generations continue to enjoy
wildlife as they become the guardians of such
wildlife. Tourists can also benefit national parks
if they introduce a policy that ensures that
revenues earned by a park are used within
the park rather than being placed for common
use by all national parks in a treasury. Tourists
to national parks can help bring about such
change by voicing their concerns about
the need to preserve wildlife and by taking
suitable actions.
Black Panthers
Image Credit: Sreedhar Nagaraj
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