Man-animal conflict ‘Behavioural study of tigers in PTR needed’

 

 

With as many as 11 humans falling prey to tiger attacks since 2020 in Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), the burning issue of man-animal conflict has compelled the wildlife conservation fraternity to return to the drawing board. Wildlife experts are concerned about the sudden spurt in man-animal conflict incidents in PTR and the territorial forest area. According to the sources, the Forest Department has sought help of the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) for a study to find out the causes of frequent tiger attacks on humans, especially in PTR buffer and territorial areas. “In the cases reported in PTR, a study on behaviour of big cats is needed. On the basis of the study, we can take steps to curb such incidents in the forest fringes,” Dr Prabhunath Shukla, Deputy Director, PTR told The Hitavada. “Sudden rise in man-animal conflict in PTR is a matter of grave concern. To know the cause, we have asked the WCT to conduct a study on behavioural changes in the big cats. We are expecting that the report will be released in the next two months,” said Dr Shukla. “Generally attack on humans are committed by sub-adult tigers who are in search of a new territory to mark as their own. It also happens when a tiger stops fearing humans and attacks villagers and their cattle. Hence, there is a possibility that a tiger is repeatedly attacking humans in PTR to establish its territory.

 

Therefore, the big cat should be captured as early as possible as per the SOP of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA),” opined Aditya Joshi, Head, Conservation Research, WCT. When asked about conducting a study on behavioral pattern of tigers, Joshi said, “A study will help to find out the root cause of behavioural changes in the big cats. It will help us to address loopholes to avoid such incidents in future.” The back-to-back incidents of attacks by tiger is having psychological impact not only on the victims’ families but other villagers also who are now looking at the big cats as their enemies. The Department should address such challenges with help of NGOs, added Joshi. According to a wildlife expert, tiger monitoring in territorial forest is needed to avoid such incidents. The Forest Department is monitoring core and buffer areas but it is lacking attention towards movement of tigers in territorial areas. The last three incidents of tiger attacks took place in buffer and territorial areas in a month. Whereas, the attacks that took place in forest areas other than PTR also happened mostly in territorial areas.

 

The Forest Department has a major responsibility and needs to intensify monitoring and install camera traps in territorial forests, suggested a wildlife expert on the condition of anonymity. The expert blamed the change in crop pattern for increase in man-animal conflict in Pench and surrounding areas. “Few years ago, farmers were dependent on only one paddy crop in a season. Now, due to availability of ample water throughout the season, farmers has started taking three crops in a year. Therefore, they have to go to their farms in every season which caused the increased the man-animal encounter.”