19 August, 2009. Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. A caravan of jeeps is passing through the village called Patour and I am also a part of it. We are driving along the old road towards a culvert, below which a tigress in her prime is lying dead. This is the Bamera Tigress having about eight months’ old three small cubs. The cubs are too small to survive in the wild without their mother, so their fate is also sealed.
We reach the spot as a crowd of forest personnel and villagers silently watch the guards bringing out the dead tigress laden on a wooden stretcher. The postmortem shows no conclusive cause of death and the whole matter is referred to the lab. Although, the incident seems to be the result of the two human killings by this tigress some months before. Apart from that, the Bamera tigress had also become an ardent cattle lifter.
There is rain in the air and a loud rumble of lightening sweeps across the grey sky. I watch the beautiful striped body of the tigress disappear in the roaring flames of the funeral pyre. The lush green forest in the background shimmers in the rising smoke.
I am sad, feeling a queer vacuum inside, but I am more determined than ever to save the tiger.
We reach the spot as a crowd of forest personnel and villagers silently watch the guards bringing out the dead tigress laden on a wooden stretcher. The postmortem shows no conclusive cause of death and the whole matter is referred to the lab. Although, the incident seems to be the result of the two human killings by this tigress some months before. Apart from that, the Bamera tigress had also become an ardent cattle lifter.
There is rain in the air and a loud rumble of lightening sweeps across the grey sky. I watch the beautiful striped body of the tigress disappear in the roaring flames of the funeral pyre. The lush green forest in the background shimmers in the rising smoke.
I am sad, feeling a queer vacuum inside, but I am more determined than ever to save the tiger.
2 comments:
Hi Deepak,
good to hear from you, but a pity that is such a bad news. We have also read from another blog about the tigress death: http://savethetigers62.blogspot.com/2009/08/tigress-found-dead-three-cubs-missing.html
Man and tiger cannot live in the same place. If she has been poisoned these villagers must be banished from the park zone. If the other villager do not point out the person who did that, the entire village should be removed.
If it is not enough that they get refund by their cattle and if they keep walking in/out the wild with their cattle this kind of thing will continue.
It is a shame that now, besides the poachers, the tigers get also poisoned by people. This case is 1 death making other 3 casualities, because can these 3 poor orphan tiger cubs be reintroduced into the wild someday?
Hope you are Ok after the Monsoon rains. Tomorrow we are travelling to Africa, we send news after.
Cassio.
I'm very happy to hear of people as Deepak Talan struggles daily for conservation's Tigers at Bandhavgarh National Park. You are a good and great example for everybody Deepak Talan.
You have my support. India has to keep its natural heritage !
Bravo Deepak.
Marie-France
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