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Madhav National Park's Captive "Safari" Tigers

The Madhya Pradesh Tiger Census Compilation, 1997 records 15 tigers in Madhav National Park. In reality, 12 of those are actually behind bars! In 1989, the State government established a "Tiger Safari" at Madhav NP, for the purpose of "breeding and tourism", although it is not clear what they intended to do with the offspring. From one pair, taken from the wild, 14 offspring were produced over 8 years. More recently, 5 of the tigers died due to a viral infection. One of the tigers is in fact a wild male who, in a bid to find a mate, had leapt into the enclosure in March 1996. It is claimed that he sustained injuries and has remained there ever since. When EIA researchers visited the Park in March 1998, the attendant provoked the wild tiger into roaring, just for the benefit of tourists. The Park authorities do not receive any additional funding for maintaining this "safari", which also houses two leopards. Funds used to keep these captive animals depletes available funds which could be used for improving the habitat and protection for the wild tigers and their prey. Recent reports state that the "safari" is to be closed.

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