A WORD FOR THE “MAN EATERS”

The figure of 1411 shook the Prime Minister’s Office and the protection of our National Animal – “The Tiger” came under the ambit of the PMO. But it seems that the Tigers of the forests of Uttar Pradesh decided to move in their own ways and started straying towards the human population. It was indeed a records of sorts that since October 2007 there have been 22 incidences of straying. This somewhat unnatural behavior of the Tiger resulted in losses at both ends , by human deaths and the killing of the Tigers branded as “Man Eaters”.

A question which arises is why this sudden attraction of the Tiger towards the humans?

Any wild animal as a natural instinct general avoids humans and keeps their distance. The carnivores usually attack as a self defense to a sudden direct confrontation , a face to face with a human or when it has to extinguish its hunger.

One of the reasons for the straying and “Man-Animal Conflict” in the forest of Terai started somewhere when the sugarcane crop was in the harvesting phase. Wild Boars venture into the sugarcane and are followed by the Tiger. The Tiger does not differentiate between the Tall Grass and Sugarcane and stays in it , then while harvesting there is a direct confrontation with a human resulting in the loss of human life. This is not a intentional killing but a reaction in self defense.

The other and primary reason for the continuous exodus of the Tiger out of the forest is when it does not find sufficient food (i.e prey) inside the forest. This happens when there is a drastic fall in the population of the herbivores (which includes Chital, Nilgai, Hog Deer and Barking Deer). A general impression of a forest is that it should be full of trees , but in fact for a healthy forest there should be woodland , grassland and waterbodies. Grasslands are the primary requirement for a healthy population of herbivores to be able to sustain itself. This requires what is called “Grassland Management” a human interference in the forest to maintain the grassland and to sustain it. When grasslands are inadequate the herbivores venture out of the forest to feed on the crops in the fields around the forests. This on one hand results in the Tiger following them and finally resulting in conflict with humans with the Tiger also finding that the cattle and human are easier prey to kill and on the other hand the more dangerous and harmful exposure of the herbivores to be easily poached resulting in the further decrease in the already depleted population.

The forests of the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh are virtually dotted with human settlements in and around. This results in a lot of human pressure on the already restricted forest resources , further a lot of human presence and interference inside the forest also results in conflicts. Poaching in and around the forest of all wild animals takes its toll on the forest and the destruction of the forest habitat by encroachment of the forest land is the last nail in the coffin of loss of wildlife and forests.

A proper management of the forest and the protection of the wild inhabitants inside is expected and required from the Forest Department. This along with selective fencing , as done in the Sundarban Tiger Reserve , near human settlements could and would avoid such straying and conflicts. A hungry tiger needs food , if the needs are fulfilled within the limits of the forest the chances of such straying and killings would become remote. The Tiger is our National Animal let us take some pains to protect it or else the time is not far away when nominations for a new national animal might be required.