Forest authorities are struggling to locate the Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) that has strayed in the Gosaba island, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, and killed one goat, cow so far. Over the period of the last 15 years, the tiger has never strayed so deep. Locals say that the tiger is following the mangrove plantation patch along with the islands. These mangroves were restored by forest authorities through their plantation programmes. A similar situation is echoing across the Indian Sundarbans, this winter. There are several tiger straying cases at different islands — Kultali, Kumirmari, Moipeeth, Satjelia, and now at Gosaba.
Tigers are crossing the net that separates the forested regions from human habitation and straying long distances away from their original habitat.
Historical Records of Human-Tiger Conflict
Tiger-human conflict is common at Sundarbans and deep-rooted in its history. The mass settlement in this region began only during the British colonial period (1860- 1947). Hence, there were no traditional forest communities in the region.
Reclamation of islands started around 1903 under the cooperative initiative of Sir Daniel Mackinnon Hamilton. He started the initiative with 4,047 hectares. Socio-economically marginalised people were transported to the Indo-Gangetic delta from different regions of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The British Raj represented Sundarbans tigers as man-eaters and a hindrance to their reclamation drive. Records indicate that during the second half of the 19th Century, tigers used to kill around 1,600 people and 136-272 kg of cattle annually.
The government notification dated November 16, 1883 published in the Calcutta Gazette orders forest officers to reward the killing of tigers. During the colonial period, the tiger killing was encouraged.
Conservation Initiatives After Independence
Sundarban Tigers are unique from other habitats, which were recognised after the Independence. These diurnal tide-washed islands are designated as ‘Tiger Project’ in 1973, UNESCO world heritage site in 1987, and Biosphere Reserve in 1989 covering an area of about 9,630 square kilometers. It is home to about 96 tigers and 4.6 million people. Studies show the ecotourism income rose from Rs 15 lakh in 2003-04 to Rs 117.7 lakh in 2012-13. Ecotourism around the flagship species is a source of revenue to the forest department and the local communities. With joint forest management initiatives, locals have been actively taking part in the conservation initiatives of the forest department.
The Fear of Tiger and ‘Cult’
The fear of tigers still persists. Communities coped with this fear through the belief in the folk cult of ‘Bon-bibi’ and the tiger visage demon adversary- The ‘Dokhin Rai’. The myth revolves around ‘Dokhin Rai’ or tiger ruling the forested islands, whereas ‘Bon bibi’ protecting the honey gatherers, fisherman entering mangrove lands. This fear transcends generations and gets magnified by years of the human-tiger conflict. Tiger widows are a reality in Indian Sundarbans who have lost male members of their families to tiger attacks.
Mangrove Tiger’s Behaviour
Behavioural adaptation of Sundarban tigers makes them distinct from other meta-populations. These felines are excellent swimmers, can climb trees, have a home range of 57-110 square km, preying on deer and wild boar. They can also survive on monkeys, fish and crustaceans. The diurnal tidal flows wash away the territory marking pheromones of male tigers resulting in more mating competitions. Their yellow and black striped coat is a perfect camouflage amongst mangrove thickets and straw-coloured leaves of Hetal or Phoenix paludosa, a mangrove palm. Tiger has an acute sense of hearing and can perceive sounds up to 60 kHz, whereas a normal human can sense only 20 kHz. There is rarely any fresh water in these hypersaline regions, hence water is a constrain for the tigers, which they mostly get from their prey’s blood. Humans transgressing on forests are easy prey for the tigers.
Tiger Straying During the Pandemic
Since the pandemic, the cases of tiger attacks have been increasing with six deaths in 2020. The reason was the human transgression in reserve forests to augment income lost to pandemics. The year 2020 saw a minimum ecotourist influx in the region due to the lockdown. A possibility is with limited sound from ecotourists, launch, and steamers over the last one year, tigers got emboldened and started straying from their native habitat. Tiger populations are increasing, but as per the 2015 India State of Forest Report, Sundarbans had only an 8 sq. km rise in forest cover. Hence, tigers may be transgressing out to occupy new territories. Dense mangroves make it difficult for the tigers to spot their usual prey and entice them to look for easier alternatives. With rice crop cut down, the voices of cattle can easily woo out hungry tigers from forests.
Conservation Concern
Tiger straying is following the mangrove reforested patches. This is resurrecting the age-old fear amongst the local population that mangrove plantations can invite tigers into their homes. The situation must be handled carefully, otherwise, it will be difficult to gain local support in any mangrove restoration activities. Mangroves not only provide blue carbon sequestration service but also protects the islands during natural disasters.
The author is associate professor at Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, and researches on environmental pollution, wildlife conservation problems of the sub-continent. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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