Panna tiger siblings that killed woman, labelled ‘maneater’. Know the truth

A 65-year-old woman was mauled to death by a sub-adult tiger in Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh on Monday. The incident occurred in the Hinota area of the Reserve, barely one kilometre from one of the main entrances of the national park.

The attack took place at around 10 in the morning, when Phuliya Sahu along with three other women ventured into the core area of the tiger reserve to collect fodder. There, they confronted three sub-adult tigers, all three male and approx one-year-old.

The tigers were quick to react and before Phuliya realised it, one of the tigers attacked and dragged her into the jungle. The other two helped. The three women who had accompanied Phuliya somehow escaped and informed one of the guide, who then informed the jungle officials. The authorities rushed to the spot and, with the help of an elephant, the half-eaten body of Phuliya was recovered.

Meanwhile, the forest department has temporarily restricted tourism in this part of the park to ensure the safety of both tourists and locals. Also, an advisory has been issued warning people not to venture into the forest area.

SO, ARE THEY MAN-EATERS NOW?

Since these tigers have consumed human flesh, will it be correct to call them man-eaters?

We spoke to Anjana Tirkey, Field Director of Panna Tiger Reserve, who confirmed the incident and that the three sub-adults are cubs of the popular tigress, coded 652. Tirkey said that the women had entered a restricted area of the reserve, an activity that villagers often do surreptitiously for fodder or wood.

Tirkey said that this was an unprecedented situation, a mere accident, and it would be too early to call them man-eaters. Tigers rarely prefer human flesh. However, since these are very young cubs that have recently learnt the art of hunting-killing (the basics to survive in the jungle), they will be monitored and observed on a regular basis to avoid any further confrontation.

Tirkey assured that, if needed, these tigers will be radio-collared for monitoring.

Dr Abhishek Ghoshal, Manager and Head, Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Division at Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said, “This seems like an instance of human killing, the first such instance in Panna. As per Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (and all its amendments), the State Forest Department’s competent authority may declare an animal to be a ‘man eater’ only if there is irrefutable evidence of stalking, killing and consuming humans.”

HOW REGULAR ARE THESE CONFLICTS?

This is probably the first ever tiger-human conflict in the history of Panna Tiger Reserve, which is known for its successful tiger re-introduction programme. From zero tigers in 2009 to almost 100 now-including sub adults and cubs- Panna has come a really long way.

Tirkey called the incident “very unfortunate”. The Jungle team patrols the villages that share boundaries with the jungle on a regular basis and constantly advises them not to enter the restricted area.

She assured that the victim’s family would be compensated as per legal provisions.

WILL IT IMPACT THEIR BEHAVIOUR IN FUTURE?

Wildlife filmmaker Asif Khan said, “My sympathies are with Phuliya Sahu’s family. But, if you look at it objectively, tigers are not at fault. Human ventured into their territory, they are young and reacted to the situation. However, the authorities could consider relocating them to some other range of the reserve to minimise their human interaction, at least for some time.”

Dr Abhishek Ghoshal said, “The tiger individuals suspected to be involved in the incident are sub-adults who have recently separated from their mother and are therefore inexperienced. It might well be an unfortunate chance or one-off interaction. If unauthorised human presence in the core area of tiger reserve can be avoided, there is hardly any scientific basis to presume that these individual tigers will consider humans as easy prey in the long run as they mature. Monitoring the tiger individuals will be very important as is already being done by the tiger reserve authority.”