Sad Tiger Deaths

There has been an increase in reports about tiger deaths from different parts of Assam in the recent months. In Golaghat – a district where the most important portion of Kaziranga National Park is located – residents of a village killed a tiger in broad daylight. By the time forest officials got the information of a tiger entering a particular village and rushed to the spot, the villagers had already done it to death on suspicion that it was a man-eater. And, as if that was not enough, some people also took away its forelimbs, paws, tail, teeth, and ears, while attempts were also made to skin the tiger. Media reports have said that the villagers have been living under fear for over a month after the tiger had apparently killed one man and preyed upon livestock in the area. In the beginning of this year, the authorities had recovered carcasses of two other tigers – one from Orang National Park and another from the Biswanath Wildlife Division. In both incidents, officials have suspected that villagers were behind the tiger deaths, thus raising concerns over the safety of big cats in the national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved forests. In the Golaghat incident, some self-styled groups have accused the forest authorities of negligence leading to the death of the tiger in the hands of the villagers. While wild animals like tigers and rhinos cannot be provided with personal security as is given to political leaders, irrespective of whether they have any security threat or not, the government must take a portion of the blame for failing to act fast to create conditions for the tiger to return to its natural habitat. On the other hand, however, most of the organisations which are seen creating a hullabaloo even at the drop of a hat are hardly involved in social awareness programmes. Creating awareness among the masses is the basic duty and responsibility of voluntary organisations in a civil society. Unfortunately, in Assam, voluntarism has been already sacrificed in favour of donation and extortion. Villagers responsible for killing a tiger are victims of failed social and voluntary organisations.