Man-eaters

[peter]

USTAAD - MAN-KILLER OR MAN-EATER?


MAN-EATING TIGERS

A man-eating tiger is a tiger who deliberately and consistently seeks out humans in order to feed on them. When the number of victims rises, humans adapt their behaviour. Same for the tiger. If he doesn't change its diet, he often has no option but to enlarge its territory.

The larger the territory, the greater the chance to surprise a victim. This is the reason man-eating tigers often had large territories. When a man-eater intrudes the territory of another tiger, chances are the intrusion will not be punished. The reason is the intruder doesn't pose a threat to another tiger.


GENERAL RULES

If there's one certainty in man-eating tigers, it's the lack of rules. Below are a number of reasons why tigers turn to humans for food at times:

- Some tigers hunt humans when they have lost their territory. This type can be found anywhere, but northern India seems to top the table. One reason could be the amount of humans living close to tigers.
 
- At times, as a result of a sudden change in the conditions (like a severe monsoon or human intrusion), animals disperse. Tigers than either sit it out or change their diet. When things return to normal, they often drop the new habit. This type was often found in elevated regions, again mainly in northern India.
 
- Pregnant females or females with very young cubs are unable to stay away for days. When they surprise a human, they could decide to turn to them for some time. When the cubs are old enough, the tigress usually drops the habit. Quite many, however, pick it up when they are pregnant again. This type of man-eater was found nearly everywhere half a century ago. K. Anderson described a number of cases.

- Young adults without a place to call home can turn to humans. Doesn't happen often, but I know of different cases. Most drop the habit when they find a place of their own.

- Tigers injured in a fight can turn to humans. Many drop the habit when they recover. 

- Tigers who develop into man-eaters often have experience with humans in some way or another. A century ago, many tigers thrived on cattle in many parts of central India. When the supply was cut off (which happened every year), some of them turned to humans. In some parts of central India, man-eaters, for this reason, were as common as those who hunted wild animals. The question, of course, was if man-eaters in central India were educated by their mothers. Many think they were, but opinions differ. 

- Some tigers hunt humans simply because they can, meaning the opportunity was to good to ignore. One case was described in an unknown magazin published in Siam (Thailand). Two hunters out for large wild herbivores were called to a camp where a man had been killed by a tiger only hours before. They followed the drag, shot the tiger, constructed the story and sent a letter to the magazin. The victim, a man, had been in a small pool of water in a secluded part of the forest when a tiger saw him. He killed the man when he was bending over and dragged him away. A tiger usually eats what it kills and this one was no exception. It was after his first meal that he was surprised by the two hunters. Although they missed their target, the tiger wasn't deterred and returned. This means he had no experience with humans.   

- Only a small percentage of those who hunt humans for food develop into confirmed man-eaters. The statistics of some are impressive. Those who hunted them a century ago thought most confirmed man-eaters died of old age. The ones who were shot often featured in books. As those who killed them often needed many months, and sometimes even years, to connect to them, they knew a bit about the animal they hunted. Some of them wrote about their experiences. Most man-eaters roamed over huge areas. They also mixed animals with humans. In many cases, the hunter was hunted at some stage as well. Although many have the impression that people like Corbett and Anderson, who lived to tell their stories, had something extra, they could have been just lucky. 


USTAAD

In spite of the very limited number of tigers today, dozens of humans are still killed in most regions every year. Although the reasons are similar to the ones discussed above, new conditions sometimes produce new reasons. My guess is mismanagement could be one of them. Let's start with the facts.

a - Today's biologists often use collars to learn about tigers. Although they opened new doors, collars also have disadvantages. It starts with sedation. A tiger has to be darted to be collared. We think nothing of it when it's done correctly and the tiger lives to tell the tale, but the experience could be different for a cat.

I saw plenty of captive big cats darted, treated and moved. I was there when they were darted, helped out and talked to vets. Some animals showed little response, whereas others, and males in particular, responded in a violent way. Tigers in particular like privacy. When you sedate, move and touch them, it can have consequences. 

Maybe Ustaad took it as a breach of his privacy, maybe he saw it as an attempt to question his status and maybe it resulted in contempt. I wouldn't be surprised to find that he started stalking humans after he was first collared.        
        
b - Ustaad's territory is close to the entrance of the reserve, meaning he is used to vehicles and people. Not good for business, as cars scare the animals he hunts. If he connects vehicles and humans (as least one tiger does in Ranthambore), a dislike or grudge could develop. Big predators often are opportunists. If Ustaad, as a result of the disturbance caused by humans, needs more energy to hunt, he could decide to turn to humans for food.    

c - I recently saw a number of photographs of Ustaad near a deserted old building in the reserve. Over the years, I learned a few things about the way big cats communicate. My guess is Ustaad is an inquisitive and bold animal. Bold enough to visit the temple and bold enough to ignore humans in broad daylight. He seems to treat them in the same way as other animals. He hunts most of these, so why not hunt twolegs? 

Boldness often is a result of character, but one has to remember humans put him down and touched him. For a male tiger with a territory, it means he was challenged. If he wants to stay in control, he has to show himself. Maybe he acted to show he was still master and maybe it was a result of familiarity and opportunity. Although this seems the most likely option, I don't think it was about the food. If food would be the aim, Ustaad would deliberately seek out, stalk and kill humans at every possible opportunity. This, however, wasn't the case. 

d - India, in spite of the large human population, decided to save its wildlife. In order to get there and prevent inbreeding, more reserves and corridors are needed. They also need to consider tourism and the psychology of tigers. Everyone with experience knows tigers dont like to be seen. If you allow for tourism, problems have to be expected. They have to make up their mind.


CONCLUSIONS

- A confirmed man-eating tiger deliberately seeks out humans for food. When it is known there is a man-eater, villagers adapt. A confirmed man-eater usually responds by extending its territory. Ustaad doesn't behave like a typical man-eater and he doesn't hunt humans all the time. He also didn't extend his territory. Ustaad acts like a typical opportunist.  

- My guess is Ustaad could have changed his behaviour towards humans when he was darted. Another thing to consider is his territory is close to the entrance of the reserve, meaning he often sees vehicles and humans. The most likely result will be familiarity. Not every tiger familiar with humans will start hunting them, but some could.  

- The number of photographs and videos taken by tourists show tourism has become big business. The animals they are after, however, are elusive animals who do not like to be seen. Indian biologists and those involved in decisions know humans and wild tigers don't mix. This means a decision has to be taken.

- As for Ustaad. He could change his behaviour when tourism is abandoned. He could also be told humans are out of the question. One method is to remove him for some time. Another is to train a ranger telling him to behave. They did it with killer elephants in Africa and it could work with tigers. Amur tigers learned to stay away from humans and Indian tigers also are able to learn. When Ustaad ignores all warnings, they could decide to keep tourists and rangers away from his section. If all methods fail, the only option is to take him out. Reply