The state forest department has said the three attacks on humans over the last week in Bahraich were not made by a single tiger. So it was wrong to assume that a tiger had turned man-killer. B K Patnaik,Principal Chief Conservator of Forests,Wildlife,said the attacks took place in the mating season,when tigers turn unusually aggressive. The increase in the human population around the forests and their dependence on forests for fuel and livelihood had added to the man-animal conflict. There are around 36 villages in the core tiger habitat area in Katarniya Ghat alone, Patnaik said. We are trying to reduce these incidents but a long-term plan,supported by the Centre,is needed. Over the last ten months,16 people have died and 22 injured in Uttar Pradesh ¿ the increasing instances of man-animal conflict. The department has formed four special teams to track the movement of 110 tigers and 208 leopards in the three core tiger areas of the state ¿ Dudhwa National Park,Katarniaghat and Pilibhit Forest Reserve. We are doing our best to manage the problem with the limited resources we have ¿ getting trenches dug manually on the boundaries of these national parks and will be planting cactus to ensure that the animals dont move out of the forest area, said Patnaik. He said there is a need for cooperation between various departments. Citing an example,he said the Railways had not paid heed to the Forest Departments demands for diverting about 70 km of tracks that pass through core forest areas. The state government has been writing to the Railways for 30 years to divert the tracks,which have not only affected the tiger population,but have resulted in the deaths of several smaller animals, Patnaik said. Long term measures were required to deal with the problem,he said. There is a need to increase the grasslands in core forest areas to enhance the availability of food for the herbivorous animals,which form prey for the wild cats. There is also a need to provide alternative sources of fuel and employment opportunities to tribals and forest dwellers.
