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India 'For compensation, elderly sent to forests as tiger prey'

Itaalvi

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PILIBHIT: A bizarre trend is said to be afoot in villages bordering the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR). Authorities suspect local families are sending older members into the forest as tiger prey, and their bodies then relocated to fields, to feign attacks and claim lakhs in compensation from the government.

Villagers aren't entitled to compensation if their kin die in the reserve.

There has been a string of recent fatal tiger attacks on the elderly, with seven deaths reported in the proximity of the Mala forest range alone since February 16.

Kalim Athar of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), a central government agency, arrived at the conclusion while examining tiger attacks in the area. Athar examined tiger attacks in the vicinity of PTR, looked into individual cases, the location of the bodies, and the accounts of locals. His report has been submitted to the WCCB brass. "Bureau authorities have decided to refer the matter to the National Tiger Conservation Authority for further action," Athar told TOI.
Locals, however, say family elders were willing participants in the whole affair. "They think that since they can't get resources from the forest, this is the only way their families can escape poverty," farmer Jarnail Singh, 60, told TOI.

On July 1, it was alleged that a 55-year-old woman had been killed by a tiger in her field. On Monday, conservator of forests V K Singh inspected the site, and dismissed the claim. Instead, he said it was evident from the woman's clothes, found elsewhere, and tractor treads leading into and out of a forest nearby, that she died 1.5km inside the forest, and her body was relocated.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...orests-as-tiger-prey/articleshow/59432920.cms
 
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THIS is so much better.

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This is very plausible. However, having said that, the entire issue needs to be handled with sensitivity.

It is very difficult to explain to poor people that it is their encroachment on forest land that has created this situation. In their own way, they are justified in believing that they should be given preference over tigers.

So far, the issue of tiger conservation has been handled remarkably well in India, considering the constraints on land and population density. One only needs to look at China to see what can be the result if a country is not sensitive to its wildlife heritage.

That the world is not a piggy bank for humans to extract whatever they need is a difficult concept to grasp. It will take time and effort. If these people had better economic opportunities, maybe they wouldn't be living there in the first place.
 
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Apart from some desperate attempts by the very poor. This is not an everyday occurrence in India. That I am sure.
But this points to the menace of unfair distribution of wealth and resource by those in power. With industrialization only just starting in India, proper legislation and the voice of the poor should be heard.

Somehow even with the good deed of conserving the natural habitat of its treasured animals, India has or is neglecting the plight of the poor people.

I am indebted that this news came out and authorities can take care of this disheartening episode.
 
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