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Journalism of Courage
Krishnapada Mondal (60) has spent almost 30 years of his life in the harsh terrains of the Sunderbans trying to prevent the man-animal conflict in the delta. The assistant forest ranger has had scores of encounters with tigers when he spotted them perched on palm trees or in some villagers kitchen and tried to rescue them.
Krishnapada is one of the most daring rangers who never forgot his call of duty. He has been attacked by tigers on several occasions but has narrowly escaped. He has been among the forest rangers who dared to go dangerously close to the tiger not for the sake of any adventure but to rescue the stray animal from human settlements.
When I aimed at the tiger he stared at me. I could not realise for a moment that he would attack me so swiftly, said Krishnapada.
Much to the surprise of his colleagues who ran helter and skelter to see the tiger attacking even after being shot with the tranquilizer and with serious injuries on his left hand Krishnapada tried to shoot the animal again to tranquillize it. Krishnapada was later nominated for a bravery award by the department after his heroic act.
This is just one of the incidents he faced which ran shivers down the spine of the locals. But in his career of 30 years Krishnapada has met with many such frightful encounters - from the early 80s when he came face to face with the tigers to 2010 when he participated in the latest tiger census.
Tranquillizing a tiger is not an easy task. The forest officials have to first ascertain the weight of the tiger,his age and then a combination of medicines to be fired from close proximity. Along with the hostile terrain and wild animals the forest officials have also to face mobs that sometimes put the forest rangers lives under threat.
On September 3,2002 a tiger had strayed into a village in the Sunderbans early in the morning. When the farmers went to the paddy fields the tiger attacked three of them.
We tried to drive the tiger away a number of times. But each time the tiger took a few steps towards the jungle and soon retreated. Dusk started to descend and the locals turned impatient. Suddenly some people snatched the rifle from my hand and shot the tiger dead, said Mondal.
According to Mondal it is very difficult to control the irate villagers when a tiger strays into a village.
Whenever a tiger strays into a village the most difficult part is to control the mob. The only question they ask the rangers is: Why has your tiger strayed into our village, says Krishnapada with a smile.
In February 2008 a tiger strayed into Katamari village in the Sunderbans and climbed on top of a palm tree. After hours of struggle the animal was finally tranquillized and then rescued to its wild habitat.
There have been a few instances when tigers have strayed into villages and for days on end the rangers have protected the animals from poachers.
The task of Krishnapada does not end by merely preventing the tigers from straying but also to keep the animals safe from the poachers.
The rangers have to be constantly on the move often securing more than one post. In the Sunderbans most of the rangers have to be on the jetties spending days together on water. Krishnapada says they need to have a good rapport with the locals often seeking their cooperation in preserving the forests. However,amidst all the adversaries it is the love for the forests and nature that keeps these rangers going. In a way the life of Krishnapada,who is at the fag end of his career,is a reflection of the tough conditions which the rangers have to face in the choppy waters of the Sunderbans.
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