A Bengal tiger killed its first human six weeks ago

Do you know about a Bengal tiger killed its first human six weeks ago? See for more details

A Bengal tiger prowling near villages in northern India claimed its tenth victims last night, a day after making a narrow escape from a trap set by hunters.

The female big cat, which killed its first human six weeks ago, savaged a 50-year-old man, taking bites of his leg and abdomen while he was out collecting firewood.

It is believed that the animal strayed from Jim Corbett National Park, a 200-square-mile reserve created to give the animals space to roam. It struck its latest victim outside Kalgarh village in Uttarakhand state.

On the prowl: A tiger similar to this one has been stalking the lands outside Corbett Tiger Reserve, and has killed ten people

Saket Badola, deputy director of the national park, said the tiger facts that tiger was scared away from its prey by fellow villagers waving metal rods and shovels, but the man had already been badly injured and later died.

Hunters had almost captured the tiger a day before the latest killing, by using a calf as bait.

Mr Badola said: 'On Saturday night the tigress almost fell in trap and was close to the calf. But she did not attack the bait and left silently.'

Reports that a killer tiger was on the loose began circulating in late December, when a 65-year-old man was mauled in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh state, across the border from Uttarakhand.

Since then, thousands of terrified villagers have been told to watch out for the animal and to avoid the forests. The tiger has been on the prowl across an area spanning 80 miles.

There are animal facts that animal has started attacking humans because it is not getting its natural prey,' said Rupek De, chief wildlife warden of Uttar Pradesh. 'The tigers must be tired because it is not getting adequate rest.'

He said the hunters hired to kill the animal were having trouble tracking it in dense forests, and were suffering from staffing issues after half their team did not show up for work.

Habitat: The tiger is through to have strayed from the Jim Corbett National Park, pictured

Mr De said that only three of the six men asked to track and capture the tiger actually made an appearance.

On factoflife, angry villagers seized a national forestry office, demanding protection and compensation for the families of the dead.

'We can understand the predicament of the villagers,' Mr Badola said.

'The villagers do not have toilets in their homes. They go out in the open or forest areas to answer nature's call. In this scenario it is difficult to give protection to each and every villager. We have advised them to move in groups.'

India's wild tigers are considered endangered because of rampant poaching and shrinking habitat as India undergoes breakneck development to accommodate the staggering growth of its 1.2billion people.

India today has more than half of the world's remaining 3,200 tigers.

Read More

Why tiger is considered as India's national animal, not lion?

Keep reading for more interesting information about tiger facts and the reason why tiger is considered as India's national animal, not lion?

First, let me state upfront, as someone who works to conserve wildlife, no beast is greater or lesser than the other.

But the lion, majestic as he is — lacks national character, given his very limited range. For nearly two centuries, it has been confined to a small part of Saurashtra in Gujarat — the Gir National Park, and increasingly its surrounds. Once upon a time, its range extended over northern India (Emperor Akbar hunted lions near Mathura), in the east it extended up to Bihar, with the Narmada river marking the southern limit, till it was exterminated by hunting. The last wild Asiatic lion was reported outside Saurashtra in the 1890s.

A national animal by its very definition must have a wide range in our country, it must be familiar to its citizens, representative of its varied ecosystems, rooted in our culture — part of our lore.

The tiger is all of it, and more. Saving the tiger has earned India the position of a pioneering leader in conservation. The tiger today is a beloved symbol of the country, has spanned a business around its tourism, and serves as India's brand ambassador. Even when some US Presidents come visiting, like Bill Clinton, meeting the tiger is on their agenda.

This proposal is strange, given that Gujarat has fiercely held on to its pride — refusing to part with even few of its lions to send them to an alternate home — even though science argues that confining the lion to a small, single area places the population at greater risk for genetic inbreeding and the fear of an epidemic.

If the lion becomes the national animal, one wonders if it will be allowed to cross borders.

One must add here that the Gujarat government has done extremely well by its lions, but given the fact that the tiger is a resident of varied states, and a wanderer across borders, its conservation — while the prime responsibility of states — must have national stewardship, particularly amid of the increasing threats it faces.

Related to: elephant facts for kids

I hasten to add that this is true not just for the tiger, but for all wildlife.

In fact, the lion was India's national animal between 1952-72, when the Indian Board of Wildlife took a decision to anoint the tiger as it was found in largest swathes of the country — there are tiger reserves in 18 states and tiger presence extends to atleast four others. The tiger is truly representative in its range, found in diverse ecosystems — along the Himalayan foothills of Haryana through to Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, North Bengal, extending upto Assam; in the sholas of the Western Ghats, the deciduous forests of the Eastern Ghats, the evergreens of the northeast, and the sal jungles of central India. It thrives in the dry forests of Rajasthan and in the mangrove delta of Sunderbans. The big cat has been known to survive in the higher ranges of Nainital, and even above 10,000 feet in the Himalayas — in Sikkim, Arunachal.

The tiger was made the national animal as its numbers were declining, there was an urgent need to protect it.

More importantly, the idea of protecting the tiger was not just about saving this one animal, however charismatic it is. Saving the tiger meant that we saved its forests — forests from which rivers birthed and flowed, that heralded monsoons, nourished our soils, and served as carbon sinks.

The tiger is not just the soul of India. Saving the tiger means that the ecosystems it lives in, which sustain India, thrive too.

This is why saving the tiger must rise above politics and continue to represent the nation.

Read More