ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

[peter]

THE SUNDERBANS

a - Climate change

Every now and then, tropical storms hit India. The northeastern part in particular has quite a reputation in this respect. Although wild animals seem to be able to get to weather forecasts themselves, finding a refuge isn't easy. One of the reasons they drown every now and then is a lack of room to move in case of an emergency. 

Based on what is known (referring to countless studies on climate change), it's more than likely that the number of severe storms will increase in the next decades. Islands and coastal regions will be affected most. One of the regions expected to disappear almost completely is the Sunderbans.

I got this link from a friend a few days ago. Could be of interest, she said. I agree:   

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/science/tigers-climate-change-sundarbans.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

b - Man-eating tigers

Sunderban tigers have long been an enigma. In the last two decades the region, to a degree, has opened some of its doors. Today, there are quite a few videos in which wild Sunderban tigers feature. Research is getting more attention of the general public as well. Most of what I read is interesting, but 'Spell of the tiger' (S. Montgomery, 1995) still tops my list. I completely agree with Elizabeth Marshall Thomas (author of 'The tribe of tiger'):

" ... Not since Jim Corbett wrote Man-eaters of Kumaon has there been a better book on tigers. Never has there been a better book on the coastal forests of India and Bangladesh and the people who inhabit them. Spell of the tiger is a work of genius, filled with beauty and suspence ... " (E.M. Thomas).

Jim Corbett, born and raised in circumstances that enabled him to get to intimate knowledge about the natural world in the days it was far more present than today, was very informed about the habits of the man-eating tigers he hunted. On his own, he was able to contact and outwit them. Or was he? When reading his book, it's easy to get to the conclusion that just about everything is possible when you have what is needed. That conclusion, however, would only be part of it.     

Knowledge and experience no doubt are important, but hunting an experienced man-eating big cat also requires well-developed senses, quick thinking and, most of all, a decent amount of what we call 'luck'. Luck, however, wouldn't quite cover it. There is a difference between luck (partly affected by trained senses and sound decisions) and coincidence (not affected by any kind of skill). It's not easy to describe the difference, but Sy Montgomery's attempt is interesting. I'm not referring to what she wrote (great), but to what she didn't write (even better). Some things can't be described. They need to be sensed and, when possible, painted. Or suggested in another way. Montgomery got close. My guess is Jim Corbett would agree with that conclusion. He knew about the sense triggered by impeding danger, but felt unable to describe it. He did say it is very real and those who read his book most probably agree. In spite of his skill and the accurate descriptions he offered, coincidence and luck were always close.       

Over the years, I visited a number of wild regions. Based on what I saw, I'd say that most of those living in regions that have dangerous predators know next to nothing about the habits and intentions of their wild neighbours. The hole caused by a lack of knowledge and interest often is filled with convictions based on religion, superstition and hearsay (in the western hemisphere we prefer preference and outright ignorance). The usual result is accidents. Every year, many hundreds are killed by wild animals.   

Every now and then, however, you'll find a Corbett of some kind. Most of those I met were somewhat different from the others. They usually kept their distance. Only few of them had hunted large predators. Too dangerous, they thought. In their opinion, big cats are thinking animals and individuality is as pronounced as in humans. You never know, that is. 

I'm not too sure about the Sunderbans, but I do know that some of those employed by the Forest Service (both in India and Bangladesh) have hunted man-eating tigers. One of them wrote a book that was discussed some years ago, but I never heard about this man:                       
    
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjfUH1i3Uuc

In spite of the recent documentaries, the Sunderbans is an unknown and mysterious region. One that, apart from severe storms, has tigers, sharks, large crocs and an unknown number of snakes able to kill a human in less than an hour.

Every year, humans are killed by tigers. Most of those killed had a permit to collect honey. They're the ones you see in statistics. Those killed without a permit remain invisible, just like the tigers. Although opportunism always is important, there's no doubt that experienced man-eaters are heavily involved. Some of them deliberately follow boats and strike at night. The skill displayed by these specialists is quite incredible. 

Specialists seldom fail, but every now and then the victim survives. Some get away with a few scratches, but others, like this poor man, are maimed for life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXu5r18xqX4 Reply