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I<\/span>t was just another workday for Parambikulam\u2019s \u2018Tiger\u2019 Sreenivasan when he chanced upon a tiger and its cubs, barely three metres away from where he was standing.<\/p>\nUpon seeing Srinivasan, the tiger, who was being protective or feeling threatened, charged at him and the terrified man, who is a capable tiger conservationist, was certain that death was imminent.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cBut, something made him retract at the last moment. Or maybe, I just got lucky,\u201d he recalls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAdvertisement<\/label><\/p>\nSurprisingly, this incident was not his first, or last, dangerous encounter with the big cat.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cOnce, a tiger crept up really close to me. We were face to face. Fearing death, I thought of my kids and started tearing up, thinking that this was the end,\u201d recounts Sreenivasan, in a conversation with The Better India.He got lucky that time also, as the tiger left after a while on its own. \u201cI guess it could recognise my smell,\u201d Sreenivasan shares with a smile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAdvertisement<\/label><\/p>\nAs thrilling as it may sound, for the 38-year-old, such experiences are frequent. In his 20-year-long career, he has over 2000 direct trysts with tigers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI spot tigers more than ten times a month. They spot me more than I spot them,\u201d he chuckles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA photograph by Sreenivasan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAncient knowledge of forest meets hard-earned expertise<\/b><\/h2>\n For the past two decades, K Sreenivasan has been working as a forest watcher at Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Palakkad, Kerala. He presently resides in the forest with his wife Rupa and three children.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAdvertisement<\/label><\/p>\nFor his brilliant expertise in tiger monitoring and conservation efforts, he has earned the nickname \u2018Tiger\u2019 Sreenivasan among the forest officials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn 2019, Sreenivasan received the highest honour of his career as he was honoured as the Best Forest Watcher in the country by National Tiger Conservation Authority, which got him a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh and a coveted certificate of honour for his incredible work.<\/span><\/p>\nHailing from the Malasar tribal community of Parambikulam, Sreenivasan grew up in close quarters with the forest and its wildlife. Traditionally, members of the Malasar community are known for their encyclopaedic knowledge of flora and fauna in the Western Ghats. For generations, they have lived in perfect harmony with the mighty forest and the beasts residing in it, including the tigers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAdvertisement<\/label><\/p>\n
Needless to say, Sreenivasan\u2019s tiger expeditions started early, as he grew up locating pug marks and tracking tiger movements in the jungle. His father Karuppan, who worked as a mahout, passed away when he was young. Hardships forced a young Sreenivasan to drop out of school in the fifth standard, and he has been solely dedicated towards the forest ever since.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cMy father was a mahout, and so was my uncle. In fact, there have been many forest workers in my family. But I am the first one to be involved in tiger conservation and camera trap work,\u201d the father of three declares with a sense of pride.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAdvertisement<\/label><\/p>\nEndless trysts with the national animal<\/b><\/h2>\n In the initial days, Sreenivasan worked as a fire watcher, followed by a short stint in monsoon watching. However, it did not take long for his expertise in tiger monitoring to impress the Forest Department, and soon he was engaged as a Tiger Monitoring Watcher in 2003.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHe started by locating pugmarks or tiger footprints on the forest bed, which is the ideal way to track a tiger\u2019s movement. At present, technology like radio collars have eased the work of a tiger watcher, but Sreenivasan belongs to the handful of people in the country who enjoy the arduous efforts in finding the correct set of pugmarks for tracing a tiger.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOver the years, Sreenivasan mastered the skill of camera trapping, which aids in maintaining records about the tigers in the forest. He has even trained several youths in the work who now constitute an integral part of his core team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Besides Parambikulam, he and his team have also been invited to set up camera trapping in forests across Kerala. \u201cI have photographic evidence of sighting tigers around 2000 times, but in reality, the number is way more, as many of the times I didn\u2019t have a camera to capture the moment,\u201d he shares.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCourage and patience is the key<\/b><\/h2>\n A typical day for Sreenivasan begins at around 8 AM. After signing the office register, he sets out in his work of setting up cameras in the deep interiors of the forest, sometimes walking almost 30 km for the task.<\/span><\/p>\nFor each observation, around 1000 cameras need to set up. It takes him almost a month to set up the cameras, one month for the inspection and surveillance, and another month to take down the cameras.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIn each month, I get around 4 to 5 days of rest. But I take only one day off,\u201d says the passionate tiger watcher.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt is not just the tigers lurking behind the tall grasses that pose a threat to his life every single day. Once, a wild Gaur had kicked him, severely fracturing his legs. It was in one of the obscure parts of the forest, and the nearest road was 5 km away, but he dragged himself and eventually got help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhat many don\u2019t know is that Sreenivasan is also an excellent wildlife photographer, and his brilliant snaps now adorn the walls of the Forest Office at Parambikulam.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOne of the most appreciated one in his collection happens to be that of a tigress surrounded by four cubs\u2014 an extremely rare sighting, and supremely challenging to capture with the camera. Several of his photos have been published in renowned wildlife magazines and displayed at exhibitions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cSreenivasan knows the operation of camera trapping by heart, which is why we have selected him as a trainer for our other watchers and staff. He conducts all practical training very efficiently. He is also an expert forest guide. Many important people who have visited Parambikulam have always opted for him as their guide. It is their strong belief that they can only spot a tiger in the company of our Sreeni,\u201d shares Mujeeb Rahman, the forest range officer at Parambikulam.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cHis courage and patience to roam alone in the deep forests (to spot the tigers) is extremely laudable,\u201d adds Rahman.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe need to protect our tigers<\/b><\/h2>\n Sreenivasan believes that the altering ecosystem is harming the tiger population in the forests of Kerala. With the slow encroachment of grasslands, the deer population is being adversely affected. Their young ones are being preyed on by wild dogs. This, in turn, is affecting the tigers who feed on them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIf we conserve our grasslands, forests, lakes and waterfalls, the deer population has a much better chance at survival, and thereby the tigers can also access their food. This will increase the tiger population as well,\u201d explains Sreenivasan, highlighting the importance of tiger conservation to preserve the territorial food chain of the forest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nReceiving the award has been a dream come true for him. He expresses his sincere gratitude for the eminent dignitaries like photographer Suresh Elamon and others who recommended his name to the panel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut, at the end of the day, it is the thrill of the work that excites him the most. Tiger Sreeni can hardly wait for another day of working in close quarters with the royal beasts of the jungle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAlso Read:<\/span> Ex-Civil Servant and his Wife Build Thriving 35-Acre Tiger Reserve in 20 Years<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n