Tiger Man

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Leading wildlife conservationist Saksit Simcharoen looks for trends in the ecological health of the nation as he keeps a protective eye on Thailand's largest predators ACHARA AHARYAGACHAT Saksit: ``We need to explain, and provide scientific proof, that preserving wildlife has an economic justification for society.'' Had he not changed his mind 25 years ago, Saksit Simcharoen would have been practising law all these years. "After one year at Ramkhamhaeng University Faculty of Law, I was quite certain that I did not have the discipline and courage to finish the degree, so I applied and got a place at Kasetsart University (which specialises in forestry and conservationist studies)," said the soft-speaking Saksit, a native of Prachin Buri. Although his committment to conservation and wildlife ecology came somewhat late to him, his involvement in these issues over the past two decades has shaped and polished him to become one of Thailand's foremost experts on tigers. His humble, home-spun appearance stands in contrast to the strongly voiced opinions on how people should treat all living inhabitants of the Earth with care and respect. His critiques on the new generation of bureaucrats and the future of Thailand's environmental policy-making process, especially in regard to wildlife conservation, are sharp and quick to point out contradictions. But the 46-year-old Saksit has learned to adjust himself to the absurdities and embrace whatever is provided him in his life's work and struggle through it. That work mainly centres around the pristine Western Forest Complex, which includes the 2,780 sq km Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, where his office - the Khao Nang Ram Wildlife Research Station - is situated. There he has done research on a large number of species, ranging from frogs to the large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha), to larger mammals such as tigers and leopards. One of his mentors is Alan Rabinowitz, president of Panthera: Partners in Wild Cat Conservation. Saksit assisted Mr Rabinowitz in a study of leopards in the Huai Kha Khaeng. "Saksit is a dedicated researcher and he learned on the field work from not only me but Sueb (Nakasathien) and other foresters. We need this type of person who cares for the vanishing specie," said Mr Rabinowitz, who is also one of the one world's foremost tiger experts. Sueb is a conservationist icon who committed suicide in 1990 to send a strong message for the Thai bureaucracy to seriously seek solutions to ensure forest and wildlife protection. Today Saksit's routine revolves around the intensive ecological study of tigers and leopards in the forests of Thailand using radio telemetry and camera trapping. He and his team have attached two radio-transmitting collars worth around 100,000 baht each to two tigers so that researchers can track them through the broadcasted signal. Two more tigers will be fitted with collars within this year. The radio collars are invaluable in identifying the distribution and habitats of tigers. Saskit noted that males need some 300 sq km to roam in while female tigers need around 60-70 sq kms. The camera trap is a method prevalent in many countries around the world to allow researchers to keep an eye on animal species without intruding in their lives. The research station, in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society, has installed infrared-beamed cameras in some 180 spots covering about two-thirds of the whole area of the wildlife sanctuary to study the population of the tiger species Panthera tigris in the sanctuary. Last year, Saksit together with other Thai and foreign experts, used the capture-recapture analysis to estimate the density of the tigers and concluded, based on comparable data on tiger density in Indian reserves, that Huai Kha Khaeng could potentially hold 113 tigers and the entire Western Forest Complex some 700 tigers. The cameras have so far identified at least 34 tigers in the sanctuary. Saksit said that not all of the tools at the researchers' disposal are high tech, adding that studying tiger scat (droppings) could also help identify food sources and give an indication of the tigers' health. Shrinking habitats Saksit remarked that tourists and trekkers come and go in the forest but wildlife researchers have nowhere else to go. "Sometimes we have to confront poachers and other forms of encroachers," he noted, adding that in these encounters there is sometimes the prospect of danger. Most people agree with conservation of the forests in principle, but in practice this often loses out on the basis of economics, as in the case of poaching. But Saksit argues that preserving the natural environment and all the creatures which inhabit it is strongly beneficial to society. To the argument that forests should be converted to grazing lands for stock animals so that villagers can get more protein, Saksit replies that there are other much cheaper ways to produce protein sources. He believes there are many reasons why Thai people should care about tigers. For example, their well-being is a key indicator of the intactness of the natural watershed, as well as the country's overall biodiversity. "We are counting tigers, but it is more important to foresee the trends than to know the exact number of the present tiger population," he added. These trends include the state of preservation of the tigers' prey. For instance, the habitats of deer and other hoofed animals in large, open and mostly flat grasslands. These habitats are shrinking. In the central region of the country, the Khao Ang Tue Nai is perhaps the only large grassy area that connects to the forest. The tigers' larger prey like banteng and gaur also need more space, said Saksit, but humans still hunt them for their meat, bones, and antlers. "The forest and surrounding areas need to be left untouched, or less touched, by humans," he says. Sometimes it is hard to get this message across to the nation, he conceded, lamenting that the mindless and selfish destruction of our natural lands and wildlife is still rampant. "We need to explain, and provide scientific proof, that preserving wildlife has an economic justification for society. We might fail to educate the public on this. Therefore, people are easily touched by the beauty of forest, but their consideration stops there. They think the forest is already perfect. They don't know that in order for there to be a forest, there must be wild animals and other forms of fragile natural life," said Saksit. He feels that this wisdom and the knowledge gained by the research centre must be transferred to inspire foresters and rangers, as well as the general public. Saksit said that tiger preservation is perhap the biggest conservationist challenge in Thailand, as the space for them is becoming more and more limited. "We should quickly declare more protected areas and sanctuaries to save as much space as possible for tigers. We also have to manage the sanctuaries to try to reduce human-tiger conflicts." "We should grasp that improving tiger density means improving the shape of the forests; it means their prey also have a future, and in general the food chain and the water table are intact. This healthy forest ecological cycle will eventually provide clean air and seasonal rain for agriculture. Remarking that it would be best to "dump the dull social practice of having antlers decorate houses", Saksit signals a sense of moral obligation as he attempts to get across a message of the fundamental right of existence of all beings on the planet. The farmer-like academic and conservationist will be the first to tell you he's still got a long way to go. Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next My Life Click Here! Thailand's Top Destinations Vote My Life Click Here! © Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 1996-2008 Privacy Policy Comments to: Webmaster Advertising enquiries to: Internet Marketing Printed display ad enquiries to: Display Ads Full contact details: Contact us / Bangkok Post map