June 2000: Tough, efficient, yet caring… Goddilla Vishwanatha Reddy is the quintessential wildlifer. A Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), in charge of the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, he is one among five recipients of the Sanctuary Millennium Wildlife Service Awards and is widely acknowledged to be responsible for Ranthambhore's miraculous recovery in recent years. Born in 1960 to a Forest Range Officer's family, in a small village called Chandramakula Palli in the Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, his childhood was spent in and around wild places. Bittu Sahgal travelled to the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve to speak with him about his work, life and the tiger.
When did you decide you were going to spend the rest of your life defending nature?
Actually I did not decide that; fate took that decision for me. Though my ancestors were agriculturists, my own earliest memories remain those of the shola forests and slopes in whose midst the Rishi Valley School is now located. Nature was like the air we breathed. Necessary, but not special. My father's job exposed me to the most beautiful parts of India and my parents' abiding respect for nature did the rest. My post graduation in botany seemed the most natural choice in the world. One thing simply led to another.
But was there any one trigger?
It was probably Gamble's Flora of the Madras Presidency, written by the famous British forest officer. Gamble's texts are the standard even today. Volumes in hand, I recall walking the famous Sheshchalam Hills in the Eastern Ghats that run parallel to the Coromandel Coast through which rivers such as the Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri empty. I did much of my fieldwork here and every plant or tree I managed to identify in the field was like a mystery uncovered. Every day was one of discovery. I was utterly absorbed and happy and could not have asked for anything better from life. The idea of doing something that would allow me to stay permanently in such an environment made the Forest Service an obvious choice
Books obviously had a huge influence on you… do you still read a lot?
Between patrolling the forest, government red tape and spending time with the family, it is difficult for a forest officer to find the time to read. But, yes, I still love books. Fukuoka's One Straw Revolution and Road Back to Nature actually changed my entire approach to nature and life. But it was only after joining the Forest Service in 1985 that I started any serious wildlife reading and this interest was further sparked when I took up specialised wildlife training in 1988. Fortunately we have a budget for books and I find this a very good way to enhance my field knowledge.
I notice you never go out into the field without a camera and binoculars.
Both are tools of my trade. I get so little time to use my camera, but it can help with evidence for court cases. And binoculars can save your life when confronted by hostility from any quarter in the forest. Of course, both also serve other purposes. When I was with the Territorial Forest wing in the Banswara District prior to my taking up a wildlife posting I was able to do quite a lot of birdwatching. Even today Dr. Sálim Ali's bird books are permanent companions, together with newer ones written by Bikram Grewal and the Inskipps.
Let's talk about tigers. When did your life get taken over by them?
The very first time I saw one was in Sariska in 1988, for precisely 10 seconds! Almost before I realised it, the tiger vanished. I doubt that I will ever be the same again. Something happened deep inside me. Subsequently I was able to spend lots of time with this family. Once as I sat watching the cubs, the male, we called him Nandu, began to walk right towards us. He was really mischievous. The tiny fellow actually forced me to back my vehicle away from him because his mother was watching all this with great interest. But she felt secure about us. It's so easy for tigers to take over your life. There is something powerful about them that commands you to become a bagh sevak (servant of the tiger).
Is that what you are?
I am proud to be a bagh sevak. I serve the tiger by trying to save its forests, which also happen to be so important to India. In the past few years I have understood how people like Kailash Sankhala must have felt about helping tiger habitats recover. Ranthambhore was really in trouble and my people had to do so little… hardly any management… just protection. Project Tiger can again turn the corner only if people in the field are supported politically and provided with resources.
Are you saying such support is missing now?
How can I say that? Without support from the political and administrative systems we would never have been able to achieve what we have in the past two years. But of course, we want more.
Can you give us one example of the kind of support that would make a real difference?
Not just me, but probably every field forest officer needs help with legal issues. As of now, for instance, local courts have issued three bailable arrest warrants against me. These are 'counter cases' filed by poachers to harass me. We managed to obtain a stay order from the High Court, but all this takes up time and disturbs the peace of mind of department staff. There are six more cases against me pending in local courts and I have to attend each one personally. The Wildlife Department faces scores of cases too. All this eats into our main purpose… to save the tiger.
Do forest officers have political support?
Yes, but we always want more support! I do wish, however, that political parties and their representatives were made a little more aware of the tremendous benefits to Rajasthan from forests like Ranthambhore. When the whole state is in the grip of such a terrible drought the water from Ranthambhore is nothing short of a lifeline for thousands of humans living downstream. No one can put a value on water, which is literally the tiger's gift to us. Actually, many politicians support us privately, but when elections draw near, they are forced by the system to make populist statements and that encourages people to do things that put them in conflict with us. What to do? This is life.
Can you give me an example of what you would like the political system to do for tigers?
We want to connect the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve with the Jamua-Ramgarh Sanctuary towards the south, in the Bundi district. The Amli-Kwalji closed area corridor can actually enable this to happen. Towards the north-east the Keladevi Sanctuary needs to be connected to the Dholpur District. This would provide a critical breeding habitat for tigers extending across 2,500 sq. km. (as against 824 sq. km.), which could save the tigers of Ranthambhore for years to come. All this land belongs to the Forest Department and nothing should prevent us from achieving the above objective. But we need political support. In return this tiger habitat could change the face of Rajasthan by guaranteeing its water security. The ground water recharge contribution of this extended tiger habitat alone would justify the plan
What have you done to explain Ranthambhore's water contribution to the public?
Very little. We barely have the time and energy to patrol and defend the forest. Communication requires very special talents. NGOs should be doing this job. Ranthambhore's two large water bodies directly help thousands of villagers around the reserve to farm their fields. The forest is also the catchment area of the Banas river, which flows into the Chambal. Thousands of wells would run dry if Ranthambhore's forests, god-forbid, were to be lost. Yet no one from the water resources or agriculture department has ever done any systematic studies to evaluate the hydrological contribution of the tiger reserve. The Tarun Bharat Sangh, an NGO, has ably demonstrated some of the positive effects of what I describe, near the Sariska Tiger Reserve.
Are NGOs supporting you more than government departments?
It's not like that. No one can replace the government, but NGOs can supplement official programmes. Fortunately, we have a really good relationship with the four NGOs working around Ranthambhore. WWF-India has been running their field station at Khandar for a decade and have a good rapport with selected villages. Tiger Watch, a relatively new NGO that is being run by Mr. Fateh Singh Rathore has helped to build up the department's infrastructure. They also help to train forest staff and have financed accident insurance policies for them. The Ranthambhore Foundation, of course, is the oldest NGO here and has been instrumental in so many initiatives including school programmes, promotion of local fine-artists, holding exhibitions, tree planting and dairy improvement. The Centre for Environment Education (CEE) is active in the area of children's education. I wish, however, that there was more coordination between NGOs so they could work to a common strategy. Like government departments, sometimes one NGO is unaware of the other's agenda!
And what about the controversial World Bank Ecodevelopment Project?
That is a very difficult question to answer. The project was sanctioned in 1996-97, but only last year did any villages start seeing any sign of investments. The bureaucratic procedures for micro-planning and engaging consultants have been so tedious that after three years we were unable to engage even one. And because we have no additional staff to implement the project there is increased pressure on the existing people whose prime task is protection. How can such people handle the delicate job of 'participatory management' and that too with no legal provisions in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 to support the Bank's prescriptions?
Almost every forest officer will agree with you, but how do the villagers feel about it?
They expect huge sums of money or benefits… that may not be possible. Also they are most often fighting with our staff. In such a climate how can harmonious village meetings be held with objectives such as biodiversity enhancement? The greatest difficulty is not government procedure, but World Bank procedure. The Bank asks to be consulted at every stage for approvals. Sometimes strange situations emerge. For instance, some villages are literally begging to be relocated. But the Bank wants 'authentication' from some NGO, which no one is willing to do. Strangely, Bank officials have themselves talked to villagers and are convinced of their desire to move; yet 'NGO Certification' holds up progress. Nevertheless, ecodevelopment has helped acquire some infrastructure for the park in the form of buildings and roads and in improving water conservation structures. Perhaps more transparency and time is required before judging the Ecodevelopment Project.
What in your view should we do to protect wildlife more effectively?
To begin with, stop the sole preoccupation with National Parks and Sanctuaries to the exclusion of wildlife protection in unprotected forests where the vast bulk of our wildlife is to be found. And let all wings of government and the public work towards the objective of protecting nature. This should not be the monopolistic prerogative of the Forest Department alone. In days gone by peoples' attitudes towards other species were much more evolved. They believed in the sanctity of life for all species. Today things have changed. Perhaps it is necessary therefore to nudge individuals and society at large into changing some of our more destructive habits, lifestyles and consumption patterns. Even minor sacrifices at the individual and community level could make a huge difference to the fate of the tiger.
Many officers lobby to be posted in cities such as Jaipur, are you happy in Ranthambhore?
Very happy. I had heard so much about the tigers of Ranthambhore from the writings and photographs of Fateh Singhji and Valmik Thapar. I had also seen the many films that had been produced. I was very keen to be posted here. And, as luck would have it, the second day after I joined Ranthambhore, as I was driving through Lahapur, we heard a call from the talaab (lake). We went to the site and waited quietly for half an hour. Then, suddenly, just when I thought we must have missed the cats, a tigress and her two cubs came out. I am not ashamed to admit that I was scared because of the stories of maneaters and fear psychosis about the Sundarbans tigers. But within moments my whole perception changed. They did nothing except rest in the shade and keep alert. I was thrilled. The tiger's hold on my life became even more strong.
So your job is not really dangerous?
Not because of the tigers. But I was introduced to danger in 1997, my first year of service in Ranthambhore. It was October and some villagers had sneaked into the forest and were camping in the Semli area with their cattle. We rounded up the villagers but just as we headed for the cattle pound in Sawai Madhopur they began to attack us with slingshots. The attack was sudden and the stones could have killed someone. A forest officer's job involves danger… from humans, not wild animals.
And what about humans like President Clinton?
I look upon President Clinton's visit to Ranthambhore as a god-given opportunity to renew the world's interest in the tiger. If the world's most powerful man, who has an influence on all aspects of our economic world can be so open in his support for the tiger, surely we can get even more people behind the tiger. This is particularly important today when public enthusiasm for conservation seems on the decline in cities. With evidence that international terrorism is connected to wildlife traders, the intervention of people like President Clinton is vital.
What did you all see in Ranthambhore?
He spent three hours with us in the park together with his daughter Chelsea and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Rodham. Everything seemed to interest them. The President was particularly taken up with the large herds of sambar and chital. He seemed to love the austere beauty of the dry forest. When he saw a peacock he asked whether the bird was native to India, or whether Persians had introduced it. Fateh Saheb quickly said: "Ancient epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana make mention of the peacock." The President was instantly convinced that the bird was native to India.
He was thrilled to see the huge male tiger who we call Bamburam, whose name he mistook to be Boomerang! He told us he had seen a white tiger in captivity but that this was the very first time he saw one in the wild and it was: "More majestic… fabulous." He was not worried about how close the tiger was and watched it for over 20 minutes. He was extremely considerate and asked that the vehicle in which we were seated be moved forward so people behind may also see it. President Clinton was really lucky because soon after he saw a tigress stalking a sambar, which she narrowly missed.
He understood how lucky he was and was quite moved by the wildlife drama, alarm calls and all. He asked us many questions about the tiger's behaviour. He enjoyed the trip. This must be why he mentioned the tiger in both Hyderabad and Mumbai, asking business people to help save the cat.
Do you have any message for young Indians?
Love your country. Love your tiger. And be prepared to defend them because there are people who are capable of taking both away from you. And when you grow older, treat India's soils, forests and rivers better than this generation has done.