Could the Death of a Young Girl by a Tiger Have Been Avoided?

Bengal tiger

A ten-year-old girl was recently mauled to death by a tiger in Madhya Pradesh's Sehore district. The girl, identified as Nitu, was out grazing cattle with her two younger sisters during the early morning hours in Sehore's Khadabad village which is close to the Ratapani forest area where the tiger population has increased in the last few years. According to forest officials, the tiger was hiding in the bushes, reportedly feeding on a calf when it pounced on Nitu from behind, grabbing her by the neck. Her sisters screamed and pelted stones at the tiger, which left its victim and escaped with its kill. Nitu succumbed to her injuries by the time her sisters took her home. According to Manoj Argal, conservator of forest in Sehore forest division, it is not clear what prompted the tiger to attack. One officer stated that the tiger is not a man-eater and that this was the "first such incident reported from this area." Forest officials granted monetary relief to the family and advised the villagers to avoid venturing out into the forests. Nitu's father, Suresh Bhilala, was given Rs.10,000 and guaranteed a financial help of Rs.4 lakh in the next three months.

View of Ratapani forest area

It is extremely tragic to see such a young life lost to one of India's most iconic animals, but what is truly shocking is that the area where the attack happened has not been notified as a tiger reserve for so many years. Ratapani, which spreads over 890 square kilometers in Bhopal-Raisen forest division, is recorded to have eleven breeding tigers but it has not been declared by the state government as a tiger reserve despite an in-principle approval from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2008. The reason for this delay is facilitation of two developmental projects in the area. These projects are the widening of the current 4/6 lane NH-12 section from Bhopal to Baraily by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and upgradation work on Obaidullagunj to Rehti Road which passes through Ratapani. In 2015, the Madhya Pradesh High Court accepted a petition over the delay in notifying Ratapani area as a tiger reserve. The petition was driven by RTI activist Ajay Dubey through his counsel Siddhartha Radhelal Gupta. Notices were given to the forest department, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), State Wildlife Board, NTCA, and the environment ministry asking them to answer why the Ratapani area has not been declared a tiger reserve despite the approval of the NTCA. A proposal for the declaration of Ratapani as a tiger reserve was shifted to the backdrop of growing tiger population in the sanctuary and the animals frequently wandering into Bhopal district's Kerwa forests. This was inhibiting tiger habitat and resulting in man-animal conflict.

Road running through Ratapani

The death of this young girl was attributed to the delay in declaring Ratapani as a tiger reserve and the lack of action that is deemed necessary to make space for tigers and prevent any human encroachment into the area. The two developmental projects on roads cutting through the area are preventing any measurements required to establish Ratapani as a tiger reserve, and this cannot go on forever. Further delay will increase the chances of tiger attacks in the area and severely affect the livelihood and lifestyle of the villagers. It is highly crucial to put these projects on hold and first work towards making Ratapani a tiger reserve. This includes identifying specific locations in the area occupied by tigers and if villages happen to be present, it is necessary to encourage the villagers to move from those spots and settle in areas where there is no indication of tiger or any other predator presence. This would help prevent any human-animal conflict and provide plenty of space for tigers and other wild animals. When a forest area is found to have a significant number of tigers or any wild animals, it must be declared a protected area without delay and should be undergone with proper measurements to ensure that both people and wildlife coexist peacefully.

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