January 20, 1999, Wednesday, 100% humidity, 25C

[04:05 @ Rm. 450, Pan Pacific Airport Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia]

Dearest Christopher:

 

     It is a relentless 26 hour flight from Vancouver to New Delhi, with but two hour-long stops in LA and Tokyo, and an overnighter in Kuala Lumpur where I am now.  This is my third tiger conservation expedition to India in as many years.  This time, on the plane with me were volunteers Anne Wittman and Kim Poole.

     I had lots of time to read, and think.   I read Mark & Delia Owens’ Survivor’s Song.  When my eyes got tired, I turned off the overhead light, recline the seat, closed my eyes, and thought of a thousand things, not least of which, reminded by the presence of Anne and Kim, the group of comrades-in-arms who have volunteered so much of their time and support over the years, who always rise to the challenge when called for, many of whom being activists in their own right – Frank Arnold, Joyce Arthur, Sandra Carlson, Yvonne Chin, Gay Cunningham, Cecilie Davidson (herself the President of the International Year of the Tiger Foundation), Fran Dietz, Rico “Spoorman” Habgood, Dale Hunter, Cecile Helten, Anne Jensen, Christiane Jensen, “Bearwoman” Evelyn Kirkaldy, Frances Kirby, Tanya Lebar, Kim Marchuk, Ruth Masters, Joan Miller, John Mullen, Diane “Fireweed” Radmore, Phyllis Reahil, Evelyn Roth, Neil Sumner, Carol Waddell, Dave Way, Rayanne Williams, “Tigerwoman” Tracy Zuber... 

     “So many,” you may say, but I think, “So few.”  So much to do, so few people to do it, with so little money, in so little time.

     We arrived at Malaysia’s international airport at Kuala Lumpur almost right on the equator about 01:00 local time (09:00 Vancouver time).  It is a super-modern palace of an airport that outshines all others I’ve seen, even Vancouver’s prize-winning YVR.  Like the weather-sealed and climate-regulated Ecosystem in Arizona, the interior of the airport- hotel complex is an environment apart, totally insulated from the steamy heat outside which we could experience any time by just walking out onto the tropical vegetation festooned terrace several floors under our window.  The hotel is attached to the airport main building by an air-conditioned walkway and my hotel window looks back at the terminal.  Across the road from the terminal is what looks like a plantation where the trees look too geometric and monocultural to be a natural forest.  Still, in the dawning light the countryside looks green and lush, with the city slowly awakening on the horizon.  We have no time to sample Kuala Lumpur’s charms, but soon I’ll be looking down upon whatever tropical rainforest still remains on the Malaysian peninsula from the plane enroute to India.

     At 10:00, I’ll meet with Anne and Kim for breakfast.  We’ll then take the 12:30 flight to New Delhi, due to arrive at 15:30 Delhi time. 

     I should say a few words about Anne and Kim.  Kim, a blonde, petite and gregarious woman of about 40 who normally works in a travel agency, has been a volunteer for the bear and tiger campaigns since 1996.  On this trip, she signed up as a volunteer for Pradeep Sankhala’s tiger-oriented ecotourism business – Dynamic Tours - which in turn provides all her room and board during her stay of minimum 3 months, maximum six.  Anne, brunette, fair skinned, tall, with dark yet bright eyes, is a lawyer in her late twenties, whose unbound spirit is expressed in her abandoning her lawyer’s job and coming as my volunteer for 10 weeks, then for Pradeep the rest of her 3-6 month stay.  I like both women very much as people.

     Pradeep Sankhala is the son of the late great Kailash Sankhala, the First Director of Project Tiger.  About Kailash Sankhala it is written:

     “Widely known as Tiger Man, Padamshri Kailash Sankhala (1925- 1994) was the first conservationist who raised a voice in favor of protecting the tiger as early as 1956. He spearheaded the crusade and succeeded in helping rescue the species from the brink of extinction in an age when tiger hunting was all the rage in high society – both British and Indian.

     “Kailash Sankhala carried through this challenging mission with untiring energy and dedication, even in the face of death threats. He conducted an extensive study on tigers under the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship during a time when the tiger population was dwindling at an alarming rate due to hunting and poaching and rampant habitat destruction.  His research would later lead him to launch Project Tiger in 1973.

     “Prior to serving Project Tiger as Founding Director, Kailash Sankhala was the Director of Delhi Zoological Park and Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan.  He was a distinguished naturalist and a forest officer, who played a key role in establishing various national parks in India.  Kailash Sankhala was known worldwide as an authority on tigers, and has written over half a dozen books on the subject.  He also has authored books on National Parks and Indian wildlife, and has written a number of scientific and popular science articles.”

     India is said to have 50,000-80,000 Bengal tigers around the turn of the century, still about 30,000 during World War II, but when the 1972 census counted only 1,800 tigers, the conservation world was shocked.  Within a year, Project Tiger was launched, which banned tiger hunting outright, and established over 25 strictly protected tiger reserves.  In the ensuing years, the tigers flourished.  By 1990, the 1,800 had increased back to over 4,000, and the world heaved a sigh of relief.  But then, Project Tiger, under new leadership, or lack thereof, promptly lost steam.  About the same time, East Asian economic success brought about an increased demand for tiger bone medicinal products, causing tiger poaching to increase.  And the tigers, again, began to slide.

     “Kailash Sankhala was an inspiration to many, encouraging everyone to take on the conservation cause.  He pushed for arming forest officers with cameras instead of guns.  He won many awards, including the National Honour of Padamshri in 1992.

     “In 1989, he established Tiger Trust to continue his commitment to tiger conservation.  On August 15, 1994, in Jaipur, at the still vigorous age of 69, he died – a sad and calamitous loss to the tigers and to the world.” 

     Tiger Trust is the organization chosen by WCWC as the required “Southern Partner” for the CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) grant, mostly based on the reputation of Kailash Sankhala.  According to granting parameters, the Southern Partner receives 60% of the grant money to perform tiger conservation work within its country, and WCWC uses its 40% to conduct mostly educational and publication activities in Canada.  So, of this year’s C$100,000 budget, WCWC retains C$40,000 and Tiger Trust gets C$60,000.

     Pradeep Sankhala has proven a congenial and efficient host in India.  My personal needs were all taken care of while I was in India on my first trip in the spring of 1997.  I was given almost unlimited opportunities to visit the tiger reserves, view tigers and photograph both animals and habitat.  I was given royal treatment at his tiger ecotourism Jungle Lodges at Kanha and Bandhavgarh tiger reserves.  Lodging and transportation were well arranged for me in urban areas.  All in all, Pradeep Sankhala proved himself first class in the tiger-oriented ecotourism business.  I had only one dissatisfaction.  I was treated more like a tourist than a campaigner.  I was factored almost no work to do in India, so I just created my own work as the opportunities arose. 

     Back in 1997, the first task I set for myself was to create a tiger conservation slideshow.  That was a wonderful task that came of itself.  Since I was going into the tiger reserve on a daily basis with at least one camera in my bag, what more natural than to take pictures of the place and its inhabitants?  The only problem was that most of the time, I was given to sharing the same vehicles with tourists.  And most tourists want to see only one thing, tigers.  They have little patience with anything else – jackals, deer, birds, let alone trees.  I felt constantly rushed around, looking for tigers, but missing out on everything else.  So many beautiful park scenes with exactly the right lighting were forever lost because I did not want to ask the drive to stop again on account of everybody else.  Finally, I did get my own Gypsie (Indian-made, gasoline-burning, 800 cc motor, 4WD).  Then I spent whole days in the park, taking my time, making every frame count.  Thus, the Tigers Forever slideshow was born.  Having shown it to thousands of children in Canada in the last two years, I’ve now brought it back to India.   

     This year, of course I’ll revisit these most enchanting of places, and revitalize and enrich the slideshow, but I’ll have to do something more activistic, to be the campaigner that I am, to perform what I’m best at, to get most bang for the buck.  What will it be?  I’ll keep my eyes and mind open, learn as I go, work as I learn, and let opportunities be my guide.

     The first things to be done in India, while in New Delhi, is for me to give a series of tiger conservation slideshows at urban schools.  While Tiger Trust takes on booking, I took on media.  Shortly before Christmas, I sent out media packages to two dozen of India’s most prominent media outlets.  The packages included prominent newspaper articles about WCWC, the BET’R Campaign and contact information of both WCWC and Tiger Trust.

     While in Delhi, I’ll also visit a few of the most prominent tiger conservationists of India, including Ashok Kumar, Belinda Wright and Valmik Thapar. 

     After the school talks have all been done, which may take about 10 days, I’ll again take the largely taxing and unenjoyable 24-hour train into deep rural India for the rest of my stay.  At least, that’s my plan, and if not Pradeep’s plan, it is nonetheless the most logical thing to do.  I’ll find out what Pradeep has arranged soon enough.