To read the detailed report for this programme, click here.
“Pehle zamane mein tiger logon ki sunta tha sahib! Aao bolo toh aata tha, aur chale jao bolo toh chala jata tha, ab lagta hai cheezein badal gayi hain. Ab woh humari nahi suntan. Humein tiger se koi shikayat nahi hain aur na hogi, lekin maveshi aur logon ki zindagi ka daar toh bana reht hai na?” – Ramnath, the cook for the programme, a local of Bagdara village, tiger’s neighbour.
If you discount the superstition and the mythologic thought of the tiger being an ‘obedient’ wild neighbour of man, much of what Ramnath said was true and is probably mirrored by most villagers. Sharing of space can still be dealt with, suffering economic and personal losses to the striped feline cannot. This included a number of tiger attacks on humans, with the last one resulting in a war of sorts with the villagers vandalizing and burning down the Khitauli range offices. Thus, in order to understand the issues of losses and to address a belt which has been a sensitive zone, Last Wilderness Foundation embarked on its journey to the land of the tigers to conduct the 7th leg of the village kids’ awareness programme.
