What would happen if there was a town full of people but they had no doctor to treat them in case of a health problem? It is the same case with the tigers and other wild animals of Madhya Pradesh. Despite the fact that the state has some of the most important tiger reserves in the country with a population of 257 tigers, an RTI activist claims that there are no specialist wildlife doctors here to treat the wild animals.
Right to Information (RTI) is an important tool that Indians have to seek answers from government officials on various issues. RTI activist Ajay Dubey used the same application to know about a wildlife doctor in Madhya Pradesh. But the forest officials could not provide him with any documents regarding the doctor stating that they did not have the employed doctor’s document with them.
Dubey who had filed the application in June says that the department does not really have any wildlife doctor. He further adds that the doctors who are employed by the forest department are not specialists who can handle wild animals.
The state forest department in reply to the application only gave the names of five doctors – Dr Sandeep Gupta, Dr Atul Gupta, Dr Sandeep Kumar Agrawal, Dr Jitendra Kumar Jatav and Dr Akhilesh Mishra.
However Ajay says none of these doctors are qualified to treat wild animals because they have not attended the specialized course in wildlife from IVRI (Indian Veterinary Research Institute) Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Currently this is the only place in the country that offers the course.
Dubey said, “IVRI Bareilly is the only institute in the country which trains veterinarians in wildlife and provides enough exposure in handling animals in the wild. However, none of the doctors have undergone the requisite training at IVRI.”
As per government data there are 9 national parks and 25 sanctuaries in the state but the government does not have an expert doctor.
According to Retired chief conservator of forest (wildlife) PM Lad, “Treatment of wild animals including tigers needs expertise and normal veterinary doctors cannot understand and deal with the problem of big cats.”
He also pin pointed the problem,
“The basic reason why wildlife doctors shy away from taking up government jobs is because of unattractive salary packages.”
On the other side of the issue the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests H S Pawla claims the department has wildlife doctors.
“The certificates might not have been with the department at the time of RTI, therefore they must have not been made available,” he said
From 2006 till 2010 there were 24 tigers in Panna and 29 in Kanha tiger reserve who died or disappeared.
In the quest to save the tigers, there are many big and small things that can ultimately make the difference and the presence or absence of a specialist doctor equipped to treat the tigers is definitely one of them. Madhya Pradesh was once the state with highest number of tigers in India and it lost this status to Karnataka as per the last census.
The state needs to mend its mistakes. Time is running short for the tigers.
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Article reference: TOI
Diminishing habitat, dearth of doctors, and poachers on the loose, roaming free and running wild – no wonder tigers face a sad future in a country that does not value its national heritage.
You are right. With the current nation changing trends…it is necessary that the wild inhabitants of the country too get their due share of attention.
there is an urgent need to save the wild life but at the time we have not sufficient number of wild life doctors. ministry of environment and forest deeply thing over it
You are right Vivek. But the problem is not just the ministry. Young people want to be engineers and human doctors, but not vets. It is as much the need of youngsters to choose professions like these as it is for the government to support and encourage such career options.
Yes it is true that state govt not taking keen interest in protecting wildlife as because of When an RTI activist ask the true things come out that The state forest department in reply of RTI activist to the application only gave the names of five doctors – Dr Sandeep Gupta, Dr Atul Gupta, Dr Sandeep Kumar Agrawal, Dr Jitendra Kumar Jatav and Dr Akhilesh Mishra.
So it is shame full to the state govt to this reply , what efforts they made to save the life of national animal tiger in the state, and what is their motivation to conserve wild species .
How than youngsters will attract to this profession when qualified and trained vets are waiting to recruitment by govt and migrating to other state but state govt is still sleeping ,who will woke up to govt? We all or GOD .NO BODY KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH FUTURE GENERATIONS WITH SUCH A TYPE OF LEADERSHIP AND LEADERS THEY ARE ONLY DUMPING THE MONEY IN THEIR ACCOUNTS IN SWISS BANK.