In March, I spent a couple weeks chasing wildlife, near Bangalore, India, specifically Nagarahole National Park. It was my birthday and I was hoping to see a tiger in the wild for the first time.
Nagarahole National Park is located in the Indian state of Karnataka and is home to a significant population of tigers. While I did see a good amount of wildlife, regrettably I only saw the outline of one tiger in the brush.
Unfortunately, incidents of tiger killings of humans have occurred in the park in the past, largely due to conflicts between tigers and human activities such as encroachment on forest land, poaching, and other illegal activities.
Shortly before I arrived in Nagarahole for a few days of wildlife safaris, there was an incident of two family members being killed by the same tiger. The 12-year-old grandson Chetan was killed during the evening of February 12, while harvesting coffee in a plantation on the boundary of the park, near Kutta. The grandfather, Raju, 70, walked outside of his home at 6.30 a.m. when he was attacked by the tiger.
The attack occurred near the Hulikal Anti-Poaching Camp, close to Nanachi Gate of the Nagarahole range. I was told by several safari guides that the grandfather went looking for the grandson when he did not return. I was also informed that tiger is now in the Bengaluru (Bangalore) Zoo.
India has a long history of conflicts between humans and tigers, and instances of tigers killing humans have been recorded for centuries. However, the phenomenon of man-eating tigers in India gained particular notoriety during the British colonial period.
During this time, British officials and Indian rulers were keen on showcasing their hunting skills, and tigers were among their preferred prey. The construction of railways and roads also led to the fragmentation of tiger habitats, which resulted in increased human-tiger interactions.
Tigers that were injured or unable to hunt their natural prey often turned to humans as a source of food. The British colonial government established the Tiger Control Department in 1936 to deal with the problem of man-eating tigers.
The department hired professional hunters to track and kill man-eating tigers, and their efforts resulted in the deaths of hundreds of tigers over the years. Some of the most notorious man-eating tigers of this period include the Champawat Tiger and the Panar Leopard, which killed around 400 people between 1918 and 1926.
The Champawat Tiger was a female Bengal tiger responsible for an estimated 436 deaths in Nepal and the Kumaon area of present-day Uttarakhand, India, between 1900 and 1907. The tiger was named after the Champawat region where it was first sighted. She was particularly feared because she actively sought out human prey. The tiger was also known for its ability to evade capture, as it was able to move quickly and stealthily through the dense forests of the region.
The British colonial government, which ruled India at the time, hired several hunters to track and kill the Champawat tiger. In 1907, she was killed by the famous hunter Jim Corbett. The tiger’s body was later brought to the town of Champawat, where it was displayed to the public.
The Champawat Tiger is remembered today as one of the most notorious man-eating tigers in history. Its killing spree had a profound impact on the local people, who lived in fear of the tiger for years. When she was killed by Corbett, it was found her upper and lower canin teeth on the right were broken, one all the way down to the bone.
India is currently home to the largest population of tigers in the world, and the country has made significant efforts to conserve these magnificent big cats in recent years. India currently holds around 70% of the tigers in the world. The government of India and various conservation organizations have implemented a number of initiatives aimed at protecting tiger habitats, reducing poaching, and increasing tiger populations.
According to the latest tiger census conducted in 2018, the estimated number of tigers in India is 2,967, which is a significant increase from the previous census conducted in 2014, which estimated the number of tigers to be 2,226.
This represents an increase of nearly 33% in just four years, which is a remarkable achievement in the field of wildlife conservation. Tigers in India still face many challenges, including habitat loss, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict.
Human-wildlife conflict occurs when tigers come into contact with humans, often in areas where their natural habitat has been destroyed or fragmented, and can lead to the killing of tigers as well as humans. To address this issue, the Indian government has implemented a range of measures to reduce human-tiger conflict, including the relocation of villages from tiger habitats, the construction of barriers to keep tigers away from human settlements, and the establishment of tiger reserves and protected areas.
Overall, while there have been incidents of tigers killing humans in India, the issue is not primarily related to overpopulation. Instead, it is a complex issue that requires careful management and conservation efforts to ensure the survival of both tigers and humans.