When I look back to my previous post, it tells about the apprehensions I was developing about IDD (Intellectual Developmental Disability) and SIB (Self-injuring Behaviour). The concepts are in the context of tiger and human growing-interface.
A recent research by scientists from CSIR / CCMB Hyderabad was on tiger gut microbes found in the faecal matter of natural tigers. It gives early warning about tiger's environmental stress, habitat disturbance, exposure to pollutants and dietary changes. It has encouraged me to revisit IDD and SIB and the modern technologies that have been confirming our observations and apprehensions from the past old methods and tools.
I started my wildlife research fifty years back, in 1975, with traditional tools, methods and field orientations, including fundamental imprinting of ecological pyramids in my mind.
Now the time is changing. Researchers are with modern tools and technologies, on the ground-fixed cameras, drones-sailing in air and in the satellite images from the sky, all churning out analysis with AI-fortuned computers.
I now realise the advantage and happiness of having lived the life of a researcher (1975-2025) through two centuries, the twentieth and the twenty-first.
I congratulate the modern scientists who have for three different times proved me and our old wildlife research methods right:
(1) During 1995, based from pugmark tracking and analysis of the tiger population trend, we said about tigers reaching the carrying capacity in their available habitats, and the possibility of imminent threat of sharp population decline. From 2006, based on camera trap methods our results and apprehensions have got confirmed, and new methods of tiger management have been adopted by managers.
(2) From 27 September 1988 onwards, when we got data about stripe-less white tiger, our observations got documented on possible tiger colour variation in Similipal. From 21 July 1993, it got real strength and direction because of observations on melanistic tiger. By 1999, we plotted on map twelve sightings for the melanistic tiger in Similipal. I could develop a model that showed at least fourteen different colour variations in any natural population of tiger. In 2020, the photograph of a golden tiger from Kaziranga fitted to my concept in the colour model. Wildlife data trickles slow, after all. In 2021, the results from molecular studies by Bangalore-based scientists came close to my 1993-1999 apprehension relating to biological and conservation implications of melanistic tiger in Similipal. People who were enjoying the uniqueness of Similipal in showing up melanistic tiger in Similipal forests, started to realise the biological and conservation implications. In September 2025, National Geographic magazine generated more thinking by giving space to melanistic tiger on its cover page.
(3) The recent molecular studies on gut microbes from five different Tiger Reserves of India come close to my apprehensions (2025) about the pressure on tiger population and/or behaviour due to increasing human-interface.
I have started to think, if IDD and SIB may also be affecting other large indicator wildlife species of my interest, the elephants and the crocodilians, too. I am getting faint sketches on my mind and thought, and these may become bold if human-interface keep growing with all these species.
