Man-Animal Conflict Claims Another Life, Tiger Kills Villager In Maharashtra

The ever-growing case of human-animal conflict has claimed yet another life in Maharashtra after a 60-year-old man was mauled to death by a sub-adult tiger in the jungles of Gondia district.

The victim, identified as Puna Mohan Meshram, a resident of Bhadanga village in Goregaon had gone into the forest to gather leaves for his livestock in the afternoon.

Ranthambore Tiger Reserve/ Representational Image

What happened?

A forest guard had allegedly warned the victim about the presence of a big cat, but the latter had ignored her warning.

Villagers soon heard a tiger roar and set out into the forest armed with sticks. They spotted the tiger near the victim's body in compartment number 448 of the Goregaon forest range.

Meanwhile, Deputy Conservator of Forest Kulraj Singh has informed that camera traps will be installed to track the movement of the tiger.

Not the first such incident

Last month, in a similar incident, a woman was killed by a big cat in Chandrapur District.

ranthambore national park/ Facebook

The victim Vaishali Mandale along with the other women from village Sushi Dabgaon had gone to the Dongarhaldi forest to collect firewood.

While the woman was busy collecting firewood, a lurking tiger attacked and killed her.

Following the attack, villagers had protested against the forest officials alleging that despite reporting several sightings and attacks on cattle no actions were taken.

Incidents on the rise

In fact, the number of tigers straying into human territories or beyond the core forests where they come into conflict with humans is on the rise, in Maharashtra and elsewhere.

BCCL/ Representational Image

Man-animal conflict greatest threat to wildlife species

Earlier this month, a global report released by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had said that human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is one of the greatest threats to wildlife species.

¡°The future of coexistence, thus, requires enabling wildlife persistence within human-dominated landscapes while substantially and sustainably reducing risks and costs for people and wildlife. Integrating HWC management with land use planning programs and social and environmental safeguard systems, such as social and environmental impact assessments can decrease negative impacts of development activities,¡± the report said.

One of the several reasons that are accelerating the human-animal conflict is the shrinking of their habitat and the increase in human activities there.

BCCL

In the case of tigers, the report said that 35% of India's tiger ranges are outside protected areas and human-animal conflict affects over 75% of the world's wild cat species.

"Currently, 35% of India's tiger range, 40% of the African lion range and 70% of the African and Asian elephant ranges are outside protected areas," said the report.

Tigers have been pushed beyond the protected areas due to the increase in their population. Most of India's biggest tiger reserves are teeming with big cats and do not have space for the growing population.

BCCL/ representational image

In search of new territories and food, the tigers stray from the reserves and often villages in the peripheries where cattle, dogs become easy prey for them.

This puts them directly against humans and increases the chances of conflicts.