Last night I was watching the National Geographic Channel and the report was on the Sundarban Reserve in India and the man eaters that inhabit there. Much to my astonishment, they calmly said that 40-plus citizens are hunted and eaten by the striped predators, what with the scarce food supply in the area. Afterwards a detailed analysis of a children´s death was exhibited. It seems that a huge male, a confirmed cattle killer on the side, was twice captured and released. The next victim was a little child, living in the middle of a small village and playing next to a fire. The child´s father heard some noises and run to hit the tiger with a towel!. The beast let the child and made for the woods, the Lord be praised!.
Eventually, the cattle killer was again trapped and put in a cage in the zoo....it was never known if also was child´s assasin.
Something rotten could be sniffed in India, it seems the tigers consider humans in the Sundarbans natural prey and the government did nothing.

The conflicts between an encroaching expanding human population and one of the last refuges of a sizable tiger population.

What is the usual prey of tigers in the Sunderbans?

NitroX: there are chitals (axis deer), some wild pigs and anything edible. Thus, man seems to be a legitimate prey.

Actually there are not any of the deer or boar you memtioned in that area. That is the problem. The only large game for the tigers IS MAN and they have no problem in eating them. Great program, I have seen it several times. Glad I don't live there.

Winggunner,

I saw the programme also and there is a population of wild game in the area including an undisclosed species of deer. The reason man is taken is because he is easier prey than the more wild alternatives.

Naintal,

As for the gov't doing nothing, the programme also stated that most of the Sunderban is out of bounds for this very reason. Because it is virtually untouched itis also prime fishing so the locals brave the danger to increase their catches.

there was also a study that showed that the Tigers always attacked from the back. The fishermen when on the land, started to wear masks on the back of their heads. the result was a dramatic fall in the number of attacks.

Ultimately this is one of the last strongholds of the wild tiger and is a sanctuary for them. This is no different to the risks housands of Africans face from Crocs and Hippos every day that they gop to collect water or bathe in a river.

Rgds,
FB

So FB,
How did you get redeemed? Smells like a good story there!

Fallow Buck, got it right! The people are warned to stay out of the Sunderbans, but the fishermen and honey collectors still venture in.
Also the Tigers there are a smaller species.
You can't blame the Tiger for being a predator. It's what it does. You start killing the Tigers there for it and soon none will be left!
I feel for the loss of human life but I know if I couldn't protect my family from known predators, I wouldn't live where they are close!

Hi Winggunner,

It was just a reference to my disasterous season deer stalking. I usually shoot in the region of 15-20 bucks a year without too much trouble and by being quite selective. This year i saw deer every time I went out between Aug and Oct 31st but they would always be out of season does. Thenn on 1st Nov every deer in my part of the world vanished. I finally got one in Feburary with PeteE and IanF from the Euro Forum. Hence my redemption. I've been out about 4-5 times since and not managed another but tomorrow is another day!!

Rgds,

FB

Nainital,

Just got back from Bangladesh, the following reoprt was printed in a local daily on April 8th 2006.

Tigers kill 20 in Sundarbans last year
Bss, Satkhira

At least 20 persons were killed by tigers in different parts of the Sundarbans last year.

Forest officials said the victims are fishermen, 'bawali', 'mawali' and coast guard.


The dead fishermen are: Shantosh Kumar Mondal, 32, of village Jalalpur under Tala upazila, Aziz Sheikh, 35, of village Baro Bhetkhali, Amjad Ali Sheikh, 38, of village Dhumghat, Abdur Rahim, 18, of village Shora, Dhona Sardar, 60, of village Shora, Nirapuda Mondal, 45, of village Burigoalini, Abdul Gafur, 38, of village Pakhimara, Shahjahan Ali, 21, of village Tengrakhali and Arshad Ali Gazi, 60, of village Munshigonj under Shyamnagar upazila.


The dead 'bawalis' are: Kobad Ali, 55, of village Burigoalini, Rezaul Gani, 30, Kawsar Gazi, 32, of village Horinagar, Nasar Ali Gazi, 45, of village Ehooto Bhetkhali and Abdur Rab, 35, of village Pakhimara under the same upazila, and Monirul Sana, 22, of village Dhamrail under Paekgacha upazila and Nur Mohammad, 30, of village Bobra under Koyra Upazila of Khulna district.


The dead 'mawalis' are: Monjel Gazi, 40, of village Chackbara, Rafiqul Islam, 35, of village Horinazar and Sobed Ali Gazi, 42, of village Godara under Shyamnagar upazila.


The dead forest guards are: Mahfuz, 38, of Lotaberi Forest Camp.


Meanwhile, three persons including a forest guard were critically injured by tigers during the period.


Of the injured, Forest Guard Nasir Khan of Lotaberi Forest Camp survived after fighting for half an hour with tiger.


Abdul Hamid, 86, of village Kholishabunia and Abu Taleb Sardar of village Tengrakhali under Shyamnagar Upazila were attacked by tigers while fishing at Lotaberi Khal and Matabhanga Khal area in the Sunderbans.

ManuhurRahman: I´m grateful for your detailed information. This said and done, I am still astonished about the Indian government policies. Thanks again.

Martin,
Astonished, Why?. The damn International tree and bunny huggers have people that camp on the Govts. doorsteps. It is plain that they place more value on the tigers than they do their own people. Maybe they figure that since there are millions more people than there are tigers they can afford to loose a couple hundred citizens just to keep the tigers going.
Do you own a .458 Win Mag.?
Jack

Winggunner: I´m not Martin, who is another member of AR. By the way, many people here built 458´s in our excellent Mauser 1909 actions, just for feeling the sheer power of the round. Thus your quest for a particular gun should be somewhat difficult I guess. Agreed about bunny huggers.

quote:

Originally posted by winggunner:
Martin,
(...)
Do you own a .458 Win Mag.?
Jack

Hey Jack ! I guess you were refering to me

(My apologies, Ricardo ... I won´t hijack your thread for long )


No, I don´t have a .458 (huummm .... should better add "yet" !), my biggest bores are a 416 RM and a 45/70, which are shot in the following rifles: a Remington KS Safari (Custom Shop) with tru-glo fiber sights and a Marlin 1895 SS scoped with a IOR 4x32 (QD mounts, of course !) ... but I have read about your search and will keep my eyes and ears open ... if your .458 is in Argentina I will hear about it sooner or later ... also Juan has taken notice of your search (and rescue ?) so relax, since it is only a matter of time for you to know something about it

Regards
Martin

I've seen the program a few times as well, very interesting to say the least. Didn't they say that many of those attacked are never reported because they are working in the illegal lumber trade? There could be dozens more victims that are never even reported. It is good, though, that the local fishermen started using those masks on the backs of their heads.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the Sundurbans a kind of salt marsh? I remember hearing that the high salt content in the tigers of a certain part of India made the tigers more aggressive and therefore more likely to prey upon humans.

I also saw a Discovery program about "unknown killers" of India. The original two targets of the search for these killers were tiger and leopard, but after much research, they all but concluded that it was WOLVES killing the people of these villages! The villagers were scared to death of whatever was lurking outside their walls, and believed it was some sort of witch doctor or something.

Gibson,

Yes there was a theory thatthe high salt content was stimulating some kind of aggressive reaction. I think though like any population turned man eater they have had years to start treating the locals and another course on the menu.

as for the indian Gov't n not doing anything about the problem as mentioned else where on the thread, that's not really true. They have cut down attacks dramatically with the introduction of the Mask technique, and educating the locals better. Killing the Tigers really shouldn't be the solution for such an issue.

FB

Fact is that in a few years we shall not be able to see tigers in the wild, period. An educated guess numbers the tigers in India about the 500 mark. Too few even for avoiding the dangers of inbreeding. Unless a massive effort is made to relocate and multiply the existing individuals, you´ll say "NO MORE THE TIGER".

Naintal,

The tiger of the sunderban have been a closed population for ever. The whoile point of the program was showing how they are still in their natural shape. If they have survived all this time without the problems of interbreeding then it won't be an issue in the modern day.

There is no natural migration for movement in the gene pool in this area like there is in other jungle/savannah ecosystems.

In the Event that there are only 500 tigers in india then there wouldn't be the issue of human predation in this area of many square miles. The reality is that such numbers are usually generated byt the same groups that say that Elephants and leapords are endangered to further their own causes.

As such it is unlikely that anyone really knows how many are left.