When a tiger wanders into a village and kills a cow or goat, villagers often retaliate by poisoning the carcass of the animal killed. When the tiger returns the next day to feed on the remains, it dies a most horrific death.
Why would the villagers take such a drastic step? The death of the tiger could not possibly bring back the cattle killed.
For communities living around tiger reserves, loss of cattle implies loss of a major source of livelihood. To ease frustration and reduce retaliatory killings, the Indian government provides compensation to owners of cattle attacked by tigers, but the process is long and tedious, impacting its effectiveness. In the absence of immediate interim relief, villagers affected by attacks on their cattle would continue to poison tigers in revenge.
Tiger Facts:
Why would the villagers take such a drastic step? The death of the tiger could not possibly bring back the cattle killed.
For communities living around tiger reserves, loss of cattle implies loss of a major source of livelihood. To ease frustration and reduce retaliatory killings, the Indian government provides compensation to owners of cattle attacked by tigers, but the process is long and tedious, impacting its effectiveness. In the absence of immediate interim relief, villagers affected by attacks on their cattle would continue to poison tigers in revenge.
Tiger Facts:
- The stripes on each tiger are unique, like human fingerprints
- Tigers have been known to imitate the call of other animals to successfully attract prey
- Tigers scratch trees and use their urine to mark their territories
- About 1200 to 1500 livestock are killed by tigers annually
- In the last four years, zero retaliatory killings have been reported around the Corbett Tiger Reserve indicating success of the IRS
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