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India Today
13 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
How Valmik Thapar earned his tiger stripes
In the crowded conservation space, how did the late Valmik Thapar, one of India's foremost tiger experts, author, filmmaker and commentator, stand out?Thapar, 73, lost his battle with cancer in the early hours of May 31, plunging the global wildlife and conservation community into gloom. He is survived by wife Sanjana, the daughter of late actor Shashi Kapoor, and son stood out most importantly because of his frankness of opinion, the not-so-common ability to call a spade a spade. He served on numerous environmental committees, including the National Board for Wildlife, India's top decision-maker on wildlife. Yet, he never minced words even if that meant antagonising those who had appointed him to such bodies.A case in point is Thapar serving as a member of the task force on tigers set up in the aftermath of the conservation debacle at Rajasthan's Sariska Reserve, where the tiger was found in the early 2000s to have been pushed to near wipeout. While on the committee, Thapar had opposed the theory of coexistence of tigers and humans, which used to be a view much in sync with the government of the day in Delhi. Later, in an indication that he was open to correction, Thapar supported the idea of working with forest-dwelling communities, and even did so in the villages around the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan through his not-for-profit, the Ranthambore Those who have known the Thapar family suggest Valmik's ability to speak the truth to the powers that be may have come from parents Romesh Thapar and Raj Thapar. Romesh's May 1950 victory in the Supreme Court in the case 'Romesh Thapar v State of Madras' remains one of the landmark rulings in India on the freedom of speech and curbing of arbitrary use of state as editor of CrossRoads magazine, had moved court after the then Madras government banned the sale of the publication in the state over an article on police violence in a Thapars also conceptualised the Seminar magazine. Romesh, educated in England, was much impressed with Fabian socialism and imbibed Marxist ideals. Highly educated and Marxist in political thought, the couple was perhaps the kinds dispensations are often not comfortable with.'Valmik Thapar had the ability to speak the truth, without malice, to the powers that be. He was not dogmatic as many imagine... He was a strategist. He had strong opinions, based on his field experience imbibed from Fateh Singh Rathore, the first field director of the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. He knew Ranthambhore and its tiger intimately and was wedded to that forest,' says Bittu Sahgal, editor of Sanctuary Asia magazine and a long-time friend and associate of Sahgal and Thapar had spent endless nights under the boughs of the banyan tree at Ranthambore Fort's Jogi Mahal, inside the reserve. 'Virtually all his life, Valmik carried the voice of the tiger across the globe, and that positively helped protect Panthera tigris across India,' reminiscences critics within the conservation fraternity had an issue with his focus on the tiger, so much so that he was labelled by some as a tiger fanatic to the detriment of other species. Most recently, Thapar had emerged as a prominent voice opposing the government's decision to reintroduce the cheetah in programme launched with much fanfare at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in 2022 has had a rough ride. Thapar, speaking to INDIA TODAY back then, had mentioned that the main issue was the lack of open grasslands, like the ones seen in Africa where cheetahs can roam cheetahs at Kuno now routinely enter human habitations that dot the landscape, vindicating Thapar's stance, at least friends maintain that being an extremely private person, Thapar did not speak of his battle with cancer with too many people. His son Hamir has spent considerable time in Ranthambore. Will he follow in the illustrious footsteps of his father?advertisementSubscribe to India Today Magazine
Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
The one-man army who secured the tiger — with love and awe: Valmik Thapar (1952-2025)
Conservationist and tiger chronicler Valmik Thapar passed away early this morning after a brave and tough fight with cancer at his Kautilya Marg residence in New Delhi, his family said. He was diagnosed with cancer in his digestive tract. Considered one of the world's foremost authorities on tigers, Valmik Thapar inspired generations to rally for the cause of wildlife conservation. A veritable one-man army, he authored over two dozen books mostly on big cats, presented several wildlife documentaries, including the seminal BBC series Land of the Tiger (1997), and remained the loudest – and most articulate – voice for conservation in India since the 1990s. With no formal training in wildlife biology or conservation, Thapar developed a deep understanding of tiger behaviour, as he put it, by watching wild tigers in Ranthambhore over five decades. In 1976, it was a chance encounter with Fateh Singh Rathore, then director of Ranthambhore tiger reserve, that had him hooked for life. Both outspoken and often contrarian, Rathore and Thapar formed an indefatigable partnership — until Rathore's demise in 2011 — that influenced and, often, shaped India's conservation efforts and policies over the decades. Thapar served in multiple apex bodies of the government, including the National Board for Wildlife and the Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court. He was also a member of the Tiger Task Force set up to prescribe reforms in the aftermath of the disappearance of tigers from Rajasthan's Sariska in 2005. That was also the year I started learning the mercurial ways of India's Tigerman. Thapar was warmly supportive of my work in The Indian Express from the day I first reported the total loss of tigers in Rajasthan's Sariska tiger reserve in January 2005. He offered me encouragement, insights and contacts, as the investigative series took me to parks across the country: Ranthambhore (Rajasthan), Panna, Kanha (Madhya Pradesh), Indrawati (Chhattisgarh), Valmiki (Bihar) and Palamu (Jharkhand) over the next three months. In May 2005, I reported how Ranthambhore was in shambles despite attracting more money than all other tiger reserves combined. Non-profits, including Thapar's NGO Ranthambhore Foundation, had received a sizeable chunk of those funds. The report appeared in the morning then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Ranthambhore. Thapar was livid over what he said would be his last phone call to me. It was a we-told-you-so moment for a couple of young conservationists who had flagged how often Thapar used to grandly bemoan how he failed to save 'his' tigers. 'Valmik is in love with his ego,' his critics would carp. Two months later, it was Thapar himself, back at what he loved doing, who would alert me to what he perceived as a 'pro-people bias' in the Tiger Task Force report which observed that the tiger 'issue is not about the tiger per se… but about rebuilding forest economies.'' Thapar's legendary stubbornness – a key shield for his activism – did not come in the way of changing his mind. Inviolate areas are often impractical, he would eventually concede, and 'conservation is impossible without community support.' Thapar had set up his Ranthambhore Foundation back in 1987 to work towards integrating local communities into conservation efforts, and also partnered with another non-profit, Dastkar, to create livelihoods for displaced villagers. But Thapar's fight, as he wrote in his 2012 book Tiger My Life, Ranthambhore and Beyond, 'was always for inviolate spaces—where the tiger could live free, away from noise, away from humans.' Post-Sariska, though, reform was in the air and prompted him to look beyond the model of exclusionary conservation. Around 2006, Thapar's 'tiger guru' Fateh Singh Rathore was also warming up to 'soft strategies' — such as educating children from traditional hunter communities — pushed by biologist Dharmendra Khandal, who had recently joined Rathore's non-profit TigerWatch. From mostly-stick, the Rathore-Thapar conservation scale started leaning decisively towards mostly-carrot in a matter of years. What did not change was Thapar's inbuilt distrust of the government system, even though he remained an insider most of his life. Perhaps that intimate knowledge led him to observe that 'bureaucracy killed more tigers than bullets ever did.' Yet, even Rajesh Gopal, who took heavy flak as then head of Project Tiger from Thapar during the Sariska years, is quick to assert that his adversary was not self-serving. 'All said and done, Valmik really helped the tiger's cause,' Gopal told The Indian Express. Until his last days, Thapar was involved in conservation work, guiding Khandal on various TigerWatch projects, and curating a defining collection of photos of Ranthambhore. Thapar was born in 1952 in Mumbai to Romesh and Raj Thapar, journalists and co-founders of the political journal Seminar. He is survived by his wife, actor and director Sanjana Kapoor, and son Hamir Thapar. Days before his death, I had called Thapar for a comment about a story I was working on related to the use of live bait to lure tigers. He never mentioned he was admitted to a hospital, but readily agreed to weigh in on the 'stupid thing they are doing, feeding tigers and risking lives.' The promised quote arrived on WhatsApp within minutes. Later, I learnt he was in considerable discomfort and 'fussed all day in an irritable mood.' On his first tiger sighting, Thapar once wrote: 'It was like shedding one layer of skin and putting on another… The transformation was total.' Until his last days, the mere mention of tigers would have the same impact on the man. Not always William Blake's tiger with its 'fearful symmetry' but something softer, more magical.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
Valmik Thapar, conservationist and chronicler of India's tigers, dies at 73
Valmik Thapar, a towering figure in Indian wildlife conservation and one of the country's most passionate advocates for the tiger, died Friday morning at his residence on Kautilya Marg in New Delhi. He was 73 and was diagnosed with cancer last year. Over nearly five decades, Thapar became synonymous with India's tiger conservation efforts. An author of over two dozen books on wildlife and conservation, Thapar has also presented several landmark wildlife documentaries, including the seminal BBC series 'Land of the Tiger' (1997). His entry into the world of conservation came in 1976, after an encounter with Fateh Singh Rathore, then director of the Ranthambhore tiger reserve in Rajasthan. Both outspoken and often contrarian, Rathore and Thapar formed an indefatigable partnership that inspired India's conservation efforts and policies over four decades. Until his last days, Thapar was involved in conservation work, notably through TigerWatch, a non-profit established by Rathode in Sawai Madhopur. Thapar served in multiple apex bodies of the government, including the National Board for Wildlife. He was also a member of the Tiger Task Force set up to prescribe reforms in the aftermath of the disappearance of tigers from Rajasthan's Sariska. He was a staunch critic of the 'lethargic government system' and had famously observed that 'bureaucracy killed more tigers than bullets ever did.' In 1987, Thapar set up Ranthambhore Foundation, a non-profit that worked for integrating local communities into conservation efforts. He also partnered with the non-profit Dastkar to create livelihoods for displaced villagers. Thapar was born in 1952 in Mumbai to Romesh and Raj Thapar, journalists and co-founders of the political journal Seminar. He is survived by his wife, Sanjana Kapoor and son, Hamir Thapar. In his book 'Tiger My Life, Ranthambhore and Beyond', Thapar, in 20212, summed up what he called his mission: 'My fight was always for inviolate spaces—where the tiger could live free, away from noise, away from humans.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Violations rampant in Sultanpur park buffer zone, wildlife board rejects nod to projects
Gurgaon: Citing repeated regulatory violations and inaction by Haryana govt, the standing committee of National Board for Wildlife has declined approval to three infrastructure projects proposed within the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of Sultanpur National Park, which is also a Ramsar site. The minutes of the standing committee meeting on May 9 were uploaded on Friday. These three affordable housing projects are being constructed between 4 and 4.4 km within the ESZ. The projects are situated in the notified ESZ of Sultanpur National Park, a protected area known for its biodiversity and international recognition as a wetland of global importance. The committee has flagged 78 instances of violations within the ESZ. The report underscored the degradation of Sultanpur Jheel, overdependence on the Gurgaon canal for water supply, invasion by non-native species and unchecked construction activity as growing threats to the park's fragile wetland ecosystem. Asked about illegal structures coming up so close to the park, a wildlife department official said, "We have already submitted a list of 32 violations in the eco-sensitive zone. The department of town and country planning will take action." On Dec 19, 2023, the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) had constituted a site inspection team following concerns over unapproved construction activity. The inspection, carried out on Jan 23, 2024, revealed that the user agencies initiated construction work without prior clearance. This led to the constitution of a high-level committee chaired by the inspector general of forests (wildlife) to assess cumulative environmental impacts and identify no-development zones around the park. On May 9, the committee decided the state must act on the panel's recommendations and report back, withholding approval for the projects. "The standing committee therefore decided that the state govt shall take action on the recommendations of the committee constituted under the chairmanship of inspector general of forests (wildlife) and against the violations noted by the committee and forward the action taken report to the ministry," the minutes of the May 9 meeting said. Despite repeated communications from the ministry, Haryana govt failed to provide an action taken report (ATR) on the violations, prompting the standing committee to take a firm stance during its 79th meeting. It ruled against the pending proposals and mandated the state govt to act on the committee's recommendations, initiate legal and regulatory proceedings against violators and submit a comprehensive ATR. The regional office has been tasked with monitoring the enforcement process and reporting to the ministry on a monthly basis. The decision also aligns with a directive of Punjab and Haryana high court in CWP-3563-2023 (OM), which ordered the standing committee to conclude its deliberations within three months while ensuring a fair hearing to project proponents. Speaking during the meeting, director general of forests Sushil Kumar Awasthi emphasised the critical role of hydrology in sustaining the region's biodiversity. Committee member Dr HS Singh highlighted the need for ecological restoration of floodplains and tank beds. Echoing these sentiments, standing committee chairman Bhupender Yadav stressed that wetlands are equally vital as forests, serving as key carbon sinks and biodiversity reservoirs. The committee concluded that the Sultanpur National Park is one of the most significant biodiversity areas adjoining Gurgaon. The report highlighted that maintenance of the biodiversity and ecosystem service values of the national park is crucial for the ecological and economic security of the region, as well as a contribution to the maintenance of global biodiversity (for which the park has been designated as a Wetland of International Importance).
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
India's lion population logged 32.2% surge in last 5 years
Gandhinagar Gujarat's latest lion census shows that the western state has 891 Asiatic lions, across approximately 35,000 sq km of lion landscape, a 32.2% increase over the 674 lions counted in 2020. Of the 891, 384 reside in the forest and sanctuary areas and 507, outside in the revenue area and coastal and lion corridors, said AP Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forests. The corresponding numbers in 2020 were 334 and 340. The growing presence of lions outside so-called protected areas is also evident in the increase in their range -- by almost 60% since 2015, when there were 523 tigers/lions. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced the results of the census on Wednesday. The 16th lion population estimation was announced during the seventh meeting of the National Board for Wildlife at Sasan-Gir on March 3, chaired by the Prime Minister of India. The census, carried out from May 10 to 13, spanned 58 talukas across 11 districts, including Junagadh, Amreli, and Bhavnagar. Amreli district has the highest population of lions at 257. CM Patel credited the success to Gujarat's sustained conservation efforts, particularly the ₹2,927 crore Project Lion, launched in 2020. This initiative focuses on habitat restoration, prey-base enhancement, and mitigating human-wildlife conflict. The population in Gir National Park and Gir and Pania Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining areas serves as the cource or core population; but the lions have dispersed and established distinct satellite populations. During previous population estimations, seven of these satellite populations Mitiyala Wildlife Sanctuary, Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary, the southwestern and southeastern coastal regions, Savarkundla-Liliya and its adjoining areas in Amreli, Bhavnagar Mainland, and Bhavnagar Coast—were recorded. The latest estimation highlighted three new satellite populations including Barda Wildlife Sanctuary. Of the total population, 55.78% were found in forested areas, while the remaining 44.22% were located in non-forested areas, as per the census data. Unlike the tiger census done once every four years and carried out over a period of two years, the lion census, done once in five years, is completed in just three days. 'The tiger census mainly relies on the pug marks methodology as compared to Asiatic lion census that is done through direct beat verification. Our lion census methodology is more scientific,' said Jaipal Singh, PCCF-Wildlife, Gujarat forest department. He added that the beat verification methodology consistently proven to be statistically robust and operationally practical, especially when implemented in the diverse Asiatic Lion Landscape. 'I'm delighted to see the lion population grow from 284 in 1990 to 891 today, a nearly threefold increase, with their range expanding from 6,600 to 35,000 square kilometers, an over fivefold increase. It's a remarkable achievement, and I commend the government and forest department for it. However, the protected areas haven't expanded and have already exceeded their carrying capacity, forcing lions to spill out. This is not a good thing. To ensure the safety of wildlife, we must create more reserved forests and sanctuaries,' said renowned conservationist MK Ranjitsinh. YV Jhala, a leading wildlife biologist and an expert on lions, said that the growing population, particularly in human-populated areas, wonderfully demonstrates coexistence, reflecting how people have learned to live alongside these majestic cats. 'Lions must stay wild, independent of livestock subsidies, to preserve their natural evolutionary traits. It's our moral duty to ensure they thrive as nature intended, feeding on wild prey and devoid of people and cattle.'
