BBC story on India's tiger widows : serious man animal conflict

[Guest guest]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8411225.stm

*Page last updated at 12:24 GMT, Monday, 14 December 2009*

** **

Pain of India's 'tiger widows'

*Tigers are even said to be invading villages, looking for food.*

 

*Climate change is forcing humans and tigers in the Sunderbans delta of

eastern India into closer contact - and attacks on people are on the rise.

The BBC's Chris Morris reports.*

 

*They are magnificent, but deadly. Rarely seen, hidden in the jungles. *

 

*But now the Royal Bengal tigers which roam through the vast mangrove

forests at the mouth of the river Ganges are coming into closer contact, and

conflict, with humans. *

 

* " It all happened so quickly, " says Anar Ali Mullah, a fisherman who saw his

neighbour Ahmad killed by a tiger just a few weeks ago. *

 

* " The tiger attacked with such force, " he said, gesturing to his neck,

" Ahmad didn't stand a chance. " *

 

*Dozens of people are killed every year by tigers in the Sundarbans. And

local villagers say the number of attacks is increasing. *

 

*Fishermen, honey-gatherers and poachers who venture deep into the forest

are particularly vulnerable. *

 

*'Afraid'*

 

*In the village of Jamespur, Seba Mridha is trying to get her life back

together. In May her house was destroyed by cyclone Aila. And two months

later her husband, Ramesh, was killed by a tiger. *

 

* " We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us at any

time, " Seba says, as she sits on a small tree trunk with her two young sons.

*

 

**

**

* *

* We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us at any

time

*

*Seba Mridha*

 

* " Without my husband how will I live? How will I support these two children?

I have nothing right now. " *

 

*In village after village across this vast waterscape you can hear the same

story - tales of mourning, young widows, and real fear of the tiger. *

 

*The last official census in the Sundarbans, carried out in 2004, suggested

that there were 279 tigers in the forests. *

 

*Some experts dispute the figure and believe the true number is

significantly lower. Nevertheless, the Sundarbans remains one of the most

important tiger habitats in the world. *

 

*And that's why conservationists are working with local villagers who've

lived through tiger attacks, trying to persuade them that they need to

preserve their whole eco-system if their way of life is to survive. *

 

* " Our basic message is if you save the tiger, the mangrove will be saved,

and the mangrove will save you, " says Col Shakti Banerjee of the Wildlife

Preservation Society of India. *

 

* " The mangrove always survives the worst storms. It's the best protection

for the tigers and for the local people. " *

 

*Divine help*

 

*Col Banerjee also points out that nearly all the attacks occur when humans

enter the forests, not when tigers intrude into the villages. But there's

little doubt that the two species have to co-exist in a shrinking space. *

 

* " Climate change is causing accelerated sea level rise and an increase in

the salinity of the southern Sundarbans, " says Professor Pranabes Sanyal of

Jadavpur University in Calcutta. *

 

**

* *

*The villagers are seeking divine help*

 

* " That in turn is causing the migration of the tigers from the southern

islands towards the north, close to the human habitation. That's why we have

this man-animal confrontation - and the confrontation is increasing. " *

 

*So the villagers of the Sundarbans turn to their local goddess Bonbibi

(Lady of the Forest). *

 

*In tiny thatched roof shrines, Hindus and Muslims alike pray to the goddess

for protection, before they venture back into the forest. *

 

*They know their environment is changing - and the effects are felt every

day. *

 

* " It's very scary, " admits Madhu Mondal as he prepares for another perilous

journey on a small unprotected boat. *

 

* " Sometimes the tiger will drag the corpse away as well. You'll never find

it. That's what happened to my father. We went back later, but we never

found his body. " *

 

*More than four million people live in the Sundarbans - it's a precarious

existence in an eco-system under threat. *

 

*But many people need to fish or gather honey to survive. And they still

depend on the wild, where the tiger lies in wait, hidden in the mangrove. *

* *

* *

*How can tiger experts in Bangladesh encourage local people to protect the

endangered Bengal tiger when these animals have a distinct taste for human

flesh? *

* *

*Video Link :

**http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm*<http://news.bbc.c\

o.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm>

**

*For more information, read Sy Montgomery's book " Spell of The Tiger : The

Man Eating Tigers of Sunderbans. " *

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

A Letter to the BBC

 

Bite my shorts BBC, this type of unethical journalism will eventually kill

every living being on the planet‹from the sheer ignorance that your news

service perpetuates. Climate Change is forcing tigers into closer contact

with humans?!? The rising seas by some fraction of a centimetre is causing a

³migration² of tigers towards humans? How can you let these types of

statements go unchallenged, when any rational reporter of yesteryear would

discard these ridiculous statements. Oh, but wait, Climate Change was last

week¹s money maker, so that explains Mr. Morris and his sales-inspired

stupidity.

 

In your efforts to sell more soap by using hot buzzwords, your disservice is

doing nothing to help the tigers or the humans caught in the conflict.

Instead, this deflection of the truth about the real cause of shrinking

tiger territories is endangering every living being even more. How can the

issue of shrinking habitat be addressed seriously with the publishing of

such nonsense? Think about it, and then try and become a true news service.

 

Jiggy Gaton

www.animalnepal.org

 

 

 

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:15:46 +0530

AAPN List <aapn >

BBC story on India's tiger widows : serious man animal

conflict

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8411225.stm

*Page last updated at 12:24 GMT, Monday, 14 December 2009*

** **

Pain of India's 'tiger widows'

*Tigers are even said to be invading villages, looking for food.*

 

*Climate change is forcing humans and tigers in the Sunderbans delta of

eastern India into closer contact - and attacks on people are on the rise.

The BBC's Chris Morris reports.*

 

*They are magnificent, but deadly. Rarely seen, hidden in the jungles. *

 

*But now the Royal Bengal tigers which roam through the vast mangrove

forests at the mouth of the river Ganges are coming into closer contact, and

conflict, with humans. *

 

* " It all happened so quickly, " says Anar Ali Mullah, a fisherman who saw his

neighbour Ahmad killed by a tiger just a few weeks ago. *

 

* " The tiger attacked with such force, " he said, gesturing to his neck,

" Ahmad didn't stand a chance. " *

 

*Dozens of people are killed every year by tigers in the Sundarbans. And

local villagers say the number of attacks is increasing. *

 

*Fishermen, honey-gatherers and poachers who venture deep into the forest

are particularly vulnerable. *

 

*'Afraid'*

 

*In the village of Jamespur, Seba Mridha is trying to get her life back

together. In May her house was destroyed by cyclone Aila. And two months

later her husband, Ramesh, was killed by a tiger. *

 

* " We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us at any

time, " Seba says, as she sits on a small tree trunk with her two young sons.

*

 

**

**

* *

* We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us at any

time

*

*Seba Mridha*

 

* " Without my husband how will I live? How will I support these two children?

I have nothing right now. " *

 

*In village after village across this vast waterscape you can hear the same

story - tales of mourning, young widows, and real fear of the tiger. *

 

*The last official census in the Sundarbans, carried out in 2004, suggested

that there were 279 tigers in the forests. *

 

*Some experts dispute the figure and believe the true number is

significantly lower. Nevertheless, the Sundarbans remains one of the most

important tiger habitats in the world. *

 

*And that's why conservationists are working with local villagers who've

lived through tiger attacks, trying to persuade them that they need to

preserve their whole eco-system if their way of life is to survive. *

 

* " Our basic message is if you save the tiger, the mangrove will be saved,

and the mangrove will save you, " says Col Shakti Banerjee of the Wildlife

Preservation Society of India. *

 

* " The mangrove always survives the worst storms. It's the best protection

for the tigers and for the local people. " *

 

*Divine help*

 

*Col Banerjee also points out that nearly all the attacks occur when humans

enter the forests, not when tigers intrude into the villages. But there's

little doubt that the two species have to co-exist in a shrinking space. *

 

* " Climate change is causing accelerated sea level rise and an increase in

the salinity of the southern Sundarbans, " says Professor Pranabes Sanyal of

Jadavpur University in Calcutta. *

 

**

* *

*The villagers are seeking divine help*

 

* " That in turn is causing the migration of the tigers from the southern

islands towards the north, close to the human habitation. That's why we have

this man-animal confrontation - and the confrontation is increasing. " *

 

*So the villagers of the Sundarbans turn to their local goddess Bonbibi

(Lady of the Forest). *

 

*In tiny thatched roof shrines, Hindus and Muslims alike pray to the goddess

for protection, before they venture back into the forest. *

 

*They know their environment is changing - and the effects are felt every

day. *

 

* " It's very scary, " admits Madhu Mondal as he prepares for another perilous

journey on a small unprotected boat. *

 

* " Sometimes the tiger will drag the corpse away as well. You'll never find

it. That's what happened to my father. We went back later, but we never

found his body. " *

 

*More than four million people live in the Sundarbans - it's a precarious

existence in an eco-system under threat. *

 

*But many people need to fish or gather honey to survive. And they still

depend on the wild, where the tiger lies in wait, hidden in the mangrove. *

* *

* *

*How can tiger experts in Bangladesh encourage local people to protect the

endangered Bengal tiger when these animals have a distinct taste for human

flesh? *

* *

*Video Link :

**http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm*<http://news.b

bc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm>

**

*For more information, read Sy Montgomery's book " Spell of The Tiger : The

Man Eating Tigers of Sunderbans. " *

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Jigme,

The effect of climate change on tigers and other

wildlife in Sunderbans is well documented in the media, including New

Scientist. Pranabes Sanyal is a well respected scientist and his views have

to be rationally examined rather than emotionally dismissed.

 

I have been to Sunderbans and have talked to people who have lost their

close relatives to tigers there : trust me, there is a genuine problem in

that region. The last thing animal rights activists should do is to

antagonise local people there by giving them sermons on habitat destruction

of tigers without addressing their needs that are coming into conflict with

tigers.

 

Regarding habitat destruction, let me share a story with you. I was in

Boral, a village on the outskirts of Kolkata in January 1997. We were

talking to some villagers about the proposed destruction of a bamboo thicket

inhabited by many birds for construction of a hut. Then a villager came to

me. This is what followed :

 

Villager : (Kothai Thaken ?) Where do you live?

 

Me : Kolkata

 

Villager : (Bari naa flat ?)House or flat?

 

Me : (Bari) House.

 

Villager : (Ko tola ?)How many stories?

 

Me : (Teen ) Three.

 

Villager : (Bari bhenge felun, banshjhar lagaan eikey jaigai, pakhider

thaktey deen aapnar bansh jharey, prokriti rokkha korun ebong poshupakhider

odhikar rokkha korun Kolkatay. Tarpor Boraler bansh jharer gurootto niye

panchayatey kotha tulbo.)

 

Break down your house, plant a bamboo thicket in the same area and attract

birds to save the environment and promote animal rights in Kolkata. Then we

can discuss the environmental importance of bamboo groves in Boral with the

Village Panchayat.

 

Me : Total silence, then and now because I do not know how to tackle this

question. Many other city dwellers may find themselves in a similar

situation, right?

 

See what I mean about city folks lecturing villagers and tribals on habitat

destruction ? You tell them about environmentalism and they will ask you how

many cars you have and how many maids you employ and how many Alsations are

chomping Pedigree Petfood. It is not a black and white issue, the issue of

man animal conflict.

 

Regarding BBC biting anyone's shorts, it is not that easy. Lord Hutton tried

to do this and teach them ethical journalism and failed. I agree there is a

lot to question about how the BBC functions, but no letter written by an

animal rights organisation is going to change their policies unless you

refute them with facts rather than emotion.

 

There is a lot to question about claims on climate change but the Sunderbans

case is one of the more genuine cases where a slight change in sea level

could turn out catastrophic for men and tigers alike. The other case that

comes to mind immediately is Tuvalu. Also Lakshwadeep belonging to India.

Thank you for expressing your thoughts.

 

Regards,

 

 

On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 4:31 PM, Jigs Gaton <herojig wrote:

 

> *A Letter to the BBC

> *

> Bite my shorts BBC, this type of unethical journalism will eventually kill

> every living being on the planet—from the sheer ignorance that your news

> service perpetuates. Climate Change is forcing tigers into closer contact

> with humans?!? The rising seas by some fraction of a centimetre is causing a

> “migration” of tigers *towards *humans? How can you let these types of

> statements go unchallenged, when any rational reporter of yesteryear would

> discard these ridiculous statements. Oh, but wait, Climate Change was last

> week’s money maker, so that explains Mr. Morris and his sales-inspired

> stupidity.

>

> In your efforts to sell more soap by using hot buzzwords, your disservice

> is doing nothing to help the tigers or the humans caught in the conflict.

> Instead, this deflection of the truth about the real cause of shrinking

> tiger territories is endangering every living being even more. How can the

> issue of shrinking habitat be addressed seriously with the publishing of

> such nonsense? Think about it, and then try and become a true news service.

>

> Jiggy Gaton

> www.animalnepal.org

>

> ------------------------------

> **

> **Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:15:46 +0530

> **AAPN List <aapn >

> ** BBC story on India's tiger widows : serious man animal

> conflict

>

>

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8411225.stm

> *Page last updated at 12:24 GMT, Monday, 14 December 2009*

> ** **

> Pain of India's 'tiger widows'

> *Tigers are even said to be invading villages, looking for food.*

>

> *Climate change is forcing humans and tigers in the Sunderbans delta of

> eastern India into closer contact - and attacks on people are on the rise.

> The BBC's Chris Morris reports.*

>

> *They are magnificent, but deadly. Rarely seen, hidden in the jungles. *

>

> *But now the Royal Bengal tigers which roam through the vast mangrove

> forests at the mouth of the river Ganges are coming into closer contact,

> and

> conflict, with humans. *

>

> * " It all happened so quickly, " says Anar Ali Mullah, a fisherman who saw

> his

> neighbour Ahmad killed by a tiger just a few weeks ago. *

>

> * " The tiger attacked with such force, " he said, gesturing to his neck,

> " Ahmad didn't stand a chance. " *

>

> *Dozens of people are killed every year by tigers in the Sundarbans. And

> local villagers say the number of attacks is increasing. *

>

> *Fishermen, honey-gatherers and poachers who venture deep into the forest

> are particularly vulnerable. *

>

> *'Afraid'*

>

> *In the village of Jamespur, Seba Mridha is trying to get her life back

> together. In May her house was destroyed by cyclone Aila. And two months

> later her husband, Ramesh, was killed by a tiger. *

>

> * " We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us at any

> time, " Seba says, as she sits on a small tree trunk with her two young

> sons.

> *

>

> **

> **

> * *

> * We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us at any

> time

> *

> *Seba Mridha*

>

> * " Without my husband how will I live? How will I support these two

> children?

> I have nothing right now. " *

>

> *In village after village across this vast waterscape you can hear the same

> story - tales of mourning, young widows, and real fear of the tiger. *

>

> *The last official census in the Sundarbans, carried out in 2004, suggested

> that there were 279 tigers in the forests. *

>

> *Some experts dispute the figure and believe the true number is

> significantly lower. Nevertheless, the Sundarbans remains one of the most

> important tiger habitats in the world. *

>

> *And that's why conservationists are working with local villagers who've

> lived through tiger attacks, trying to persuade them that they need to

> preserve their whole eco-system if their way of life is to survive. *

>

> * " Our basic message is if you save the tiger, the mangrove will be saved,

> and the mangrove will save you, " says Col Shakti Banerjee of the Wildlife

> Preservation Society of India. *

>

> * " The mangrove always survives the worst storms. It's the best protection

> for the tigers and for the local people. " *

>

> *Divine help*

>

> *Col Banerjee also points out that nearly all the attacks occur when humans

> enter the forests, not when tigers intrude into the villages. But there's

> little doubt that the two species have to co-exist in a shrinking space. *

>

> * " Climate change is causing accelerated sea level rise and an increase in

> the salinity of the southern Sundarbans, " says Professor Pranabes Sanyal of

> Jadavpur University in Calcutta. *

>

> **

> * *

> *The villagers are seeking divine help*

>

> * " That in turn is causing the migration of the tigers from the southern

> islands towards the north, close to the human habitation. That's why we

> have

> this man-animal confrontation - and the confrontation is increasing. " *

>

> *So the villagers of the Sundarbans turn to their local goddess Bonbibi

> (Lady of the Forest). *

>

> *In tiny thatched roof shrines, Hindus and Muslims alike pray to the

> goddess

> for protection, before they venture back into the forest. *

>

> *They know their environment is changing - and the effects are felt every

> day. *

>

> * " It's very scary, " admits Madhu Mondal as he prepares for another perilous

> journey on a small unprotected boat. *

>

> * " Sometimes the tiger will drag the corpse away as well. You'll never find

> it. That's what happened to my father. We went back later, but we never

> found his body. " *

>

> *More than four million people live in the Sundarbans - it's a precarious

> existence in an eco-system under threat. *

>

> *But many people need to fish or gather honey to survive. And they still

> depend on the wild, where the tiger lies in wait, hidden in the mangrove. *

> * *

> * *

> *How can tiger experts in Bangladesh encourage local people to protect the

> endangered Bengal tiger when these animals have a distinct taste for human

> flesh? *

> * *

> *Video Link : **

>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm*<http://news.bbc.co.\

uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm><http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/\

breakfast/7855671.stm*%3Chttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671\

..stm%3E>

>

> **

> *For more information, read Sy Montgomery's book " Spell of The Tiger : The

> Man Eating Tigers of Sunderbans. " *

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Shubo,

 

I don't think the people in those villages have access to BBC. So the

people watching those programs are from the cities. These are the

people who empathize and fund various projects in the area of wildlife.

 

So that means if we are presenting issues about man animal conflict,

it makes sense to give the whole picture. Not just excerpts that could

get people to have a biased outlook towards this issue. And I think

that is what Jigme has tried to put across.

 

Being a constant visitor to the jungles and having a chance to meet

people there I do understand that their problems are grave and there

is a lot left to do; but man animal journalism needs to present the

whole picture...not bits and pieces of the puzzle.

 

Thanks, Pablo

 

Sent from my iPhone

 

On Dec 17, 2009, at 9:27 PM, <journalistandanimals

> wrote:

 

> Dear Jigme,

> The effect of climate change on tigers and other

> wildlife in Sunderbans is well documented in the media, including New

> Scientist. Pranabes Sanyal is a well respected scientist and his

> views have

> to be rationally examined rather than emotionally dismissed.

>

> I have been to Sunderbans and have talked to people who have lost

> their

> close relatives to tigers there : trust me, there is a genuine

> problem in

> that region. The last thing animal rights activists should do is to

> antagonise local people there by giving them sermons on habitat

> destruction

> of tigers without addressing their needs that are coming into

> conflict with

> tigers.

>

> Regarding habitat destruction, let me share a story with you. I was in

> Boral, a village on the outskirts of Kolkata in January 1997. We were

> talking to some villagers about the proposed destruction of a bamboo

> thicket

> inhabited by many birds for construction of a hut. Then a villager

> came to

> me. This is what followed :

>

> Villager : (Kothai Thaken ?) Where do you live?

>

> Me : Kolkata

>

> Villager : (Bari naa flat ?)House or flat?

>

> Me : (Bari) House.

>

> Villager : (Ko tola ?)How many stories?

>

> Me : (Teen ) Three.

>

> Villager : (Bari bhenge felun, banshjhar lagaan eikey jaigai, pakhider

> thaktey deen aapnar bansh jharey, prokriti rokkha korun ebong

> poshupakhider

> odhikar rokkha korun Kolkatay. Tarpor Boraler bansh jharer gurootto

> niye

> panchayatey kotha tulbo.)

>

> Break down your house, plant a bamboo thicket in the same area and

> attract

> birds to save the environment and promote animal rights in Kolkata.

> Then we

> can discuss the environmental importance of bamboo groves in Boral

> with the

> Village Panchayat.

>

> Me : Total silence, then and now because I do not know how to tackle

> this

> question. Many other city dwellers may find themselves in a similar

> situation, right?

>

> See what I mean about city folks lecturing villagers and tribals on

> habitat

> destruction ? You tell them about environmentalism and they will ask

> you how

> many cars you have and how many maids you employ and how many

> Alsations are

> chomping Pedigree Petfood. It is not a black and white issue, the

> issue of

> man animal conflict.

>

> Regarding BBC biting anyone's shorts, it is not that easy. Lord

> Hutton tried

> to do this and teach them ethical journalism and failed. I agree

> there is a

> lot to question about how the BBC functions, but no letter written

> by an

> animal rights organisation is going to change their policies unless

> you

> refute them with facts rather than emotion.

>

> There is a lot to question about claims on climate change but the

> Sunderbans

> case is one of the more genuine cases where a slight change in sea

> level

> could turn out catastrophic for men and tigers alike. The other case

> that

> comes to mind immediately is Tuvalu. Also Lakshwadeep belonging to

> India.

> Thank you for expressing your thoughts.

>

> Regards,

>

>

>

> On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 4:31 PM, Jigs Gaton <herojig wrote:

>

>> *A Letter to the BBC

>> *

>> Bite my shorts BBC, this type of unethical journalism will

>> eventually kill

>> every living being on the planet—from the sheer ignorance that you

>> r news

>> service perpetuates. Climate Change is forcing tigers into closer

>> contact

>> with humans?!? The rising seas by some fraction of a centimetre is

>> causing a

>> “migration” of tigers *towards *humans? How can you let these typ

>> es of

>> statements go unchallenged, when any rational reporter of

>> yesteryear would

>> discard these ridiculous statements. Oh, but wait, Climate Change

>> was last

>> weekÂ’s money maker, so that explains Mr. Morris and his sales-insp

>> ired

>> stupidity.

>>

>> In your efforts to sell more soap by using hot buzzwords, your

>> disservice

>> is doing nothing to help the tigers or the humans caught in the

>> conflict.

>> Instead, this deflection of the truth about the real cause of

>> shrinking

>> tiger territories is endangering every living being even more. How

>> can the

>> issue of shrinking habitat be addressed seriously with the

>> publishing of

>> such nonsense? Think about it, and then try and become a true news

>> service.

>>

>> Jiggy Gaton

>> www.animalnepal.org

>>

>> ------------------------------

>> **

>> **Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:15:46 +0530

>> **AAPN List <aapn >

>> ** BBC story on India's tiger widows : serious man

>> animal

>> conflict

>>

>>

>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8411225.stm

>> *Page last updated at 12:24 GMT, Monday, 14 December 2009*

>> ** **

>> Pain of India's 'tiger widows'

>> *Tigers are even said to be invading villages, looking for food.*

>>

>> *Climate change is forcing humans and tigers in the Sunderbans

>> delta of

>> eastern India into closer contact - and attacks on people are on

>> the rise.

>> The BBC's Chris Morris reports.*

>>

>> *They are magnificent, but deadly. Rarely seen, hidden in the

>> jungles. *

>>

>> *But now the Royal Bengal tigers which roam through the vast mangrove

>> forests at the mouth of the river Ganges are coming into closer

>> contact,

>> and

>> conflict, with humans. *

>>

>> * " It all happened so quickly, " says Anar Ali Mullah, a fisherman

>> who saw

>> his

>> neighbour Ahmad killed by a tiger just a few weeks ago. *

>>

>> * " The tiger attacked with such force, " he said, gesturing to his

>> neck,

>> " Ahmad didn't stand a chance. " *

>>

>> *Dozens of people are killed every year by tigers in the

>> Sundarbans. And

>> local villagers say the number of attacks is increasing. *

>>

>> *Fishermen, honey-gatherers and poachers who venture deep into the

>> forest

>> are particularly vulnerable. *

>>

>> *'Afraid'*

>>

>> *In the village of Jamespur, Seba Mridha is trying to get her life

>> back

>> together. In May her house was destroyed by cyclone Aila. And two

>> months

>> later her husband, Ramesh, was killed by a tiger. *

>>

>> * " We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us

>> at any

>> time, " Seba says, as she sits on a small tree trunk with her two

>> young

>> sons.

>> *

>>

>> **

>> **

>> * *

>> * We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us

>> at any

>> time

>> *

>> *Seba Mridha*

>>

>> * " Without my husband how will I live? How will I support these two

>> children?

>> I have nothing right now. " *

>>

>> *In village after village across this vast waterscape you can hear

>> the same

>> story - tales of mourning, young widows, and real fear of the

>> tiger. *

>>

>> *The last official census in the Sundarbans, carried out in 2004,

>> suggested

>> that there were 279 tigers in the forests. *

>>

>> *Some experts dispute the figure and believe the true number is

>> significantly lower. Nevertheless, the Sundarbans remains one of

>> the most

>> important tiger habitats in the world. *

>>

>> *And that's why conservationists are working with local villagers

>> who've

>> lived through tiger attacks, trying to persuade them that they need

>> to

>> preserve their whole eco-system if their way of life is to survive. *

>>

>> * " Our basic message is if you save the tiger, the mangrove will be

>> saved,

>> and the mangrove will save you, " says Col Shakti Banerjee of the

>> Wildlife

>> Preservation Society of India. *

>>

>> * " The mangrove always survives the worst storms. It's the best

>> protection

>> for the tigers and for the local people. " *

>>

>> *Divine help*

>>

>> *Col Banerjee also points out that nearly all the attacks occur

>> when humans

>> enter the forests, not when tigers intrude into the villages. But

>> there's

>> little doubt that the two species have to co-exist in a shrinking

>> space. *

>>

>> * " Climate change is causing accelerated sea level rise and an

>> increase in

>> the salinity of the southern Sundarbans, " says Professor Pranabes

>> Sanyal of

>> Jadavpur University in Calcutta. *

>>

>> **

>> * *

>> *The villagers are seeking divine help*

>>

>> * " That in turn is causing the migration of the tigers from the

>> southern

>> islands towards the north, close to the human habitation. That's

>> why we

>> have

>> this man-animal confrontation - and the confrontation is

>> increasing. " *

>>

>> *So the villagers of the Sundarbans turn to their local goddess

>> Bonbibi

>> (Lady of the Forest). *

>>

>> *In tiny thatched roof shrines, Hindus and Muslims alike pray to the

>> goddess

>> for protection, before they venture back into the forest. *

>>

>> *They know their environment is changing - and the effects are felt

>> every

>> day. *

>>

>> * " It's very scary, " admits Madhu Mondal as he prepares for another

>> perilous

>> journey on a small unprotected boat. *

>>

>> * " Sometimes the tiger will drag the corpse away as well. You'll

>> never find

>> it. That's what happened to my father. We went back later, but we

>> never

>> found his body. " *

>>

>> *More than four million people live in the Sundarbans - it's a

>> precarious

>> existence in an eco-system under threat. *

>>

>> *But many people need to fish or gather honey to survive. And they

>> still

>> depend on the wild, where the tiger lies in wait, hidden in the

>> mangrove. *

>> * *

>> * *

>> *How can tiger experts in Bangladesh encourage local people to

>> protect the

>> endangered Bengal tiger when these animals have a distinct taste

>> for human

>> flesh? *

>> * *

>> *Video Link : **

>>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm*<http://news.bbc.co.\

uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm

>>

><http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm*%3Chttp://news.bbc\

..co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm%3E

>> >

>>

>> **

>> *For more information, read Sy Montgomery's book " Spell of The

>> Tiger : The

>> Man Eating Tigers of Sunderbans. " *

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

Shub, thx for the comments, but I have to respectfully disagree. If u

believe habitat destruction is linked to “Climate Change†the case is

already lost. Encroachment is made by humans, not the weather.

Well-respected scientists lie every day in this regard, and we have the

emails to prove it. Any ties linking tiger problems to rising sea levels is

just a distraction, and the media is in bed with these egotistical

“scientists.†Look at the data of uncontrolled human development of natural

habitat for any wild species (if you can find it) and compare that with any

effect the weather has had on the destruction of any wild species.

 

There is no emotion involved here (outside of anger over being lied to). And

of course no one should antagonise villagers outside of the governments who

charged with doing just that. Instead of global summit meetings on climate

change, governments should be meeting on the issue of development over

natural habitat. But scientists have not made uncontrolled development a

buzzword, so it won’t happen this decade. Instead they are cashing in on

Climate Change.

 

I’ve told you the story of WWF Nepal, who jumped on that bandwagon years

ago. Meanwhile, land once belonging to elephants and others is now villages

and biscuit factories. And when the animals continue to use the land, they

are called killers and then hunted down and slaughtered as dissidents. The

problem in the Sunderbans is not with sea levels, the problem lies with the

government and the people who make up such.

 

As for writing letters to the BBC with facts - not my job. They have the job

of presenting facts and not misrepresentations of scientific data, false

assumptions, and the like. It is our job to call them on this behaviour, and

not to correct them. They are supposed to be digging out the truth, and not

the other way around. They are the news service, I am not. But for animal

activists to go along with deceit thinking “this has to be good for the

cause†- they are only be co-opted into oblivion. The truth is out there,

make them find it.

Jigs

 

 

 

 

 

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:27:23 +0530

AAPN List <aapn >

Re: BBC story on India's tiger widows : serious man animal

conflict

 

Dear Jigme,

The effect of climate change on tigers and other

wildlife in Sunderbans is well documented in the media, including New

Scientist. Pranabes Sanyal is a well respected scientist and his views have

to be rationally examined rather than emotionally dismissed.

 

I have been to Sunderbans and have talked to people who have lost their

close relatives to tigers there : trust me, there is a genuine problem in

that region. The last thing animal rights activists should do is to

antagonise local people there by giving them sermons on habitat destruction

of tigers without addressing their needs that are coming into conflict with

tigers.

 

Regarding habitat destruction, let me share a story with you. I was in

Boral, a village on the outskirts of Kolkata in January 1997. We were

talking to some villagers about the proposed destruction of a bamboo thicket

inhabited by many birds for construction of a hut. Then a villager came to

me. This is what followed :

 

Villager : (Kothai Thaken ?) Where do you live?

 

Me : Kolkata

 

Villager : (Bari naa flat ?)House or flat?

 

Me : (Bari) House.

 

Villager : (Ko tola ?)How many stories?

 

Me : (Teen ) Three.

 

Villager : (Bari bhenge felun, banshjhar lagaan eikey jaigai, pakhider

thaktey deen aapnar bansh jharey, prokriti rokkha korun ebong poshupakhider

odhikar rokkha korun Kolkatay. Tarpor Boraler bansh jharer gurootto niye

panchayatey kotha tulbo.)

 

Break down your house, plant a bamboo thicket in the same area and attract

birds to save the environment and promote animal rights in Kolkata. Then we

can discuss the environmental importance of bamboo groves in Boral with the

Village Panchayat.

 

Me : Total silence, then and now because I do not know how to tackle this

question. Many other city dwellers may find themselves in a similar

situation, right?

 

See what I mean about city folks lecturing villagers and tribals on habitat

destruction ? You tell them about environmentalism and they will ask you how

many cars you have and how many maids you employ and how many Alsations are

chomping Pedigree Petfood. It is not a black and white issue, the issue of

man animal conflict.

 

Regarding BBC biting anyone's shorts, it is not that easy. Lord Hutton tried

to do this and teach them ethical journalism and failed. I agree there is a

lot to question about how the BBC functions, but no letter written by an

animal rights organisation is going to change their policies unless you

refute them with facts rather than emotion.

 

There is a lot to question about claims on climate change but the Sunderbans

case is one of the more genuine cases where a slight change in sea level

could turn out catastrophic for men and tigers alike. The other case that

comes to mind immediately is Tuvalu. Also Lakshwadeep belonging to India.

Thank you for expressing your thoughts.

 

Regards,

 

 

On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 4:31 PM, Jigs Gaton <herojig wrote:

 

> *A Letter to the BBC

> *

> Bite my shorts BBC, this type of unethical journalism will eventually kill

> every living being on the planetËœfrom the sheer ignorance that your news

> service perpetuates. Climate Change is forcing tigers into closer contact

> with humans?!? The rising seas by some fraction of a centimetre is causing a

> „migration‰ of tigers *towards *humans? How can you let these types of

> statements go unchallenged, when any rational reporter of yesteryear would

> discard these ridiculous statements. Oh, but wait, Climate Change was last

> week‚s money maker, so that explains Mr. Morris and his sales-inspired

> stupidity.

>

> In your efforts to sell more soap by using hot buzzwords, your disservice

> is doing nothing to help the tigers or the humans caught in the conflict.

> Instead, this deflection of the truth about the real cause of shrinking

> tiger territories is endangering every living being even more. How can the

> issue of shrinking habitat be addressed seriously with the publishing of

> such nonsense? Think about it, and then try and become a true news service.

>

> Jiggy Gaton

> www.animalnepal.org

>

> ------------------------------

> **

> **Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:15:46 +0530

> **AAPN List <aapn >

> ** BBC story on India's tiger widows : serious man animal

> conflict

>

>

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8411225.stm

> *Page last updated at 12:24 GMT, Monday, 14 December 2009*

> ** **

> Pain of India's 'tiger widows'

> *Tigers are even said to be invading villages, looking for food.*

>

> *Climate change is forcing humans and tigers in the Sunderbans delta of

> eastern India into closer contact - and attacks on people are on the rise.

> The BBC's Chris Morris reports.*

>

> *They are magnificent, but deadly. Rarely seen, hidden in the jungles. *

>

> *But now the Royal Bengal tigers which roam through the vast mangrove

> forests at the mouth of the river Ganges are coming into closer contact,

> and

> conflict, with humans. *

>

> * " It all happened so quickly, " says Anar Ali Mullah, a fisherman who saw

> his

> neighbour Ahmad killed by a tiger just a few weeks ago. *

>

> * " The tiger attacked with such force, " he said, gesturing to his neck,

> " Ahmad didn't stand a chance. " *

>

> *Dozens of people are killed every year by tigers in the Sundarbans. And

> local villagers say the number of attacks is increasing. *

>

> *Fishermen, honey-gatherers and poachers who venture deep into the forest

> are particularly vulnerable. *

>

> *'Afraid'*

>

> *In the village of Jamespur, Seba Mridha is trying to get her life back

> together. In May her house was destroyed by cyclone Aila. And two months

> later her husband, Ramesh, was killed by a tiger. *

>

> * " We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us at any

> time, " Seba says, as she sits on a small tree trunk with her two young

> sons.

> *

>

> **

> **

> * *

> * We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us at any

> time

> *

> *Seba Mridha*

>

> * " Without my husband how will I live? How will I support these two

> children?

> I have nothing right now. " *

>

> *In village after village across this vast waterscape you can hear the same

> story - tales of mourning, young widows, and real fear of the tiger. *

>

> *The last official census in the Sundarbans, carried out in 2004, suggested

> that there were 279 tigers in the forests. *

>

> *Some experts dispute the figure and believe the true number is

> significantly lower. Nevertheless, the Sundarbans remains one of the most

> important tiger habitats in the world. *

>

> *And that's why conservationists are working with local villagers who've

> lived through tiger attacks, trying to persuade them that they need to

> preserve their whole eco-system if their way of life is to survive. *

>

> * " Our basic message is if you save the tiger, the mangrove will be saved,

> and the mangrove will save you, " says Col Shakti Banerjee of the Wildlife

> Preservation Society of India. *

>

> * " The mangrove always survives the worst storms. It's the best protection

> for the tigers and for the local people. " *

>

> *Divine help*

>

> *Col Banerjee also points out that nearly all the attacks occur when humans

> enter the forests, not when tigers intrude into the villages. But there's

> little doubt that the two species have to co-exist in a shrinking space. *

>

> * " Climate change is causing accelerated sea level rise and an increase in

> the salinity of the southern Sundarbans, " says Professor Pranabes Sanyal of

> Jadavpur University in Calcutta. *

>

> **

> * *

> *The villagers are seeking divine help*

>

> * " That in turn is causing the migration of the tigers from the southern

> islands towards the north, close to the human habitation. That's why we

> have

> this man-animal confrontation - and the confrontation is increasing. " *

>

> *So the villagers of the Sundarbans turn to their local goddess Bonbibi

> (Lady of the Forest). *

>

> *In tiny thatched roof shrines, Hindus and Muslims alike pray to the

> goddess

> for protection, before they venture back into the forest. *

>

> *They know their environment is changing - and the effects are felt every

> day. *

>

> * " It's very scary, " admits Madhu Mondal as he prepares for another perilous

> journey on a small unprotected boat. *

>

> * " Sometimes the tiger will drag the corpse away as well. You'll never find

> it. That's what happened to my father. We went back later, but we never

> found his body. " *

>

> *More than four million people live in the Sundarbans - it's a precarious

> existence in an eco-system under threat. *

>

> *But many people need to fish or gather honey to survive. And they still

> depend on the wild, where the tiger lies in wait, hidden in the mangrove. *

> * *

> * *

> *How can tiger experts in Bangladesh encourage local people to protect the

> endangered Bengal tiger when these animals have a distinct taste for human

> flesh? *

> * *

> *Video Link : **

>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm*<http://news.bbc.co.

uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm><http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/

breakfast/7855671.stm*%3Chttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671

..stm%3E>

>

> **

> *For more information, read Sy Montgomery's book " Spell of The Tiger : The

> Man Eating Tigers of Sunderbans. " *

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Pablo and Jigme,

Thank you for writing. I concur with you

when you say a story done by BBC, or any other media organisation for that

matter, should present two sides of the picture and BBC has traditionally

always shown double standards when it comes to stories done in US/UK

compared to Asia and Africa and Latin America.

But in Sunderbans, as I said, the claims are powerful ones(The claims

used by the BBC in this case) and presented by influential people with

impressive scientific credentials and need to be refuted on the same

grounds. If X is saying climate change is affecting tigers in Sunderbans and

presenting evidence and Y does not agree, then Y should present counter

evidence based on science saying that a reported sea level rise has not

affected tigers there. Just like 'An Inconvenient Truth' was challenged by

'The Great Global Warming Swindle', see what I mean ? There is a brilliant

book called 'Scared To Death : From BSE to Global Warming : Why Scares are

Costing Us the Earth' that refutes many scientific claims on global warming,

Mad Cow Disease, Milennium Bug, etc but it has been done on sound scientific

research and not on emotion.

There is also a suggestion that tigers in Bengal have crossed over from

Bangladesh since the habitat area is contiguous across two nations. As far

as tiger conservation goes, Sunderbans is by far the most difficult terrain

to work in the country and the proximity of villages and the livelihood of

villagers makes it a very complex area for conservation. You are welcome to

write to the BBC if you feel strongly about any issue : I have done so twice

and received responses on both occasions. Anger against BBC is justified and

I have felt so on many an occasion, but these tiger stories(please note the

Indian story and the Bangladeshi story are separate ones) are not among

them.

Best regards,

 

 

On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 9:48 AM, AAPN <pablo.groups wrote:

 

> Hi Shubo,

>

> I don't think the people in those villages have access to BBC. So the

> people watching those programs are from the cities. These are the people who

> empathize and fund various projects in the area of wildlife.

>

> So that means if we are presenting issues about man animal conflict, it

> makes sense to give the whole picture. Not just excerpts that could get

> people to have a biased outlook towards this issue. And I think that is what

> Jigme has tried to put across.

>

> Being a constant visitor to the jungles and having a chance to meet people

> there I do understand that their problems are grave and there is a lot left

> to do; but man animal journalism needs to present the whole picture...not

> bits and pieces of the puzzle.

>

> Thanks, Pablo

>

> Sent from my iPhone

>

>

> On Dec 17, 2009, at 9:27 PM, <

> journalistandanimals wrote:

>

> Dear Jigme,

>> The effect of climate change on tigers and other

>> wildlife in Sunderbans is well documented in the media, including New

>> Scientist. Pranabes Sanyal is a well respected scientist and his views

>> have

>> to be rationally examined rather than emotionally dismissed.

>>

>> I have been to Sunderbans and have talked to people who have lost their

>> close relatives to tigers there : trust me, there is a genuine problem in

>> that region. The last thing animal rights activists should do is to

>> antagonise local people there by giving them sermons on habitat

>> destruction

>> of tigers without addressing their needs that are coming into conflict

>> with

>> tigers.

>>

>> Regarding habitat destruction, let me share a story with you. I was in

>> Boral, a village on the outskirts of Kolkata in January 1997. We were

>> talking to some villagers about the proposed destruction of a bamboo

>> thicket

>> inhabited by many birds for construction of a hut. Then a villager came to

>> me. This is what followed :

>>

>> Villager : (Kothai Thaken ?) Where do you live?

>>

>> Me : Kolkata

>>

>> Villager : (Bari naa flat ?)House or flat?

>>

>> Me : (Bari) House.

>>

>> Villager : (Ko tola ?)How many stories?

>>

>> Me : (Teen ) Three.

>>

>> Villager : (Bari bhenge felun, banshjhar lagaan eikey jaigai, pakhider

>> thaktey deen aapnar bansh jharey, prokriti rokkha korun ebong

>> poshupakhider

>> odhikar rokkha korun Kolkatay. Tarpor Boraler bansh jharer gurootto niye

>> panchayatey kotha tulbo.)

>>

>> Break down your house, plant a bamboo thicket in the same area and attract

>> birds to save the environment and promote animal rights in Kolkata. Then

>> we

>> can discuss the environmental importance of bamboo groves in Boral with

>> the

>> Village Panchayat.

>>

>> Me : Total silence, then and now because I do not know how to tackle this

>> question. Many other city dwellers may find themselves in a similar

>> situation, right?

>>

>> See what I mean about city folks lecturing villagers and tribals on

>> habitat

>> destruction ? You tell them about environmentalism and they will ask you

>> how

>> many cars you have and how many maids you employ and how many Alsations

>> are

>> chomping Pedigree Petfood. It is not a black and white issue, the issue

>> of

>> man animal conflict.

>>

>> Regarding BBC biting anyone's shorts, it is not that easy. Lord Hutton

>> tried

>> to do this and teach them ethical journalism and failed. I agree there is

>> a

>> lot to question about how the BBC functions, but no letter written by an

>> animal rights organisation is going to change their policies unless you

>> refute them with facts rather than emotion.

>>

>> There is a lot to question about claims on climate change but the

>> Sunderbans

>> case is one of the more genuine cases where a slight change in sea level

>> could turn out catastrophic for men and tigers alike. The other case that

>> comes to mind immediately is Tuvalu. Also Lakshwadeep belonging to India.

>> Thank you for expressing your thoughts.

>>

>> Regards,

>>

>>

>>

>> On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 4:31 PM, Jigs Gaton <herojig wrote:

>>

>> *A Letter to the BBC

>>> *

>>> Bite my shorts BBC, this type of unethical journalism will eventually

>>> kill

>>> every living being on the planet—from the sheer ignorance that your news

>>> service perpetuates. Climate Change is forcing tigers into closer contact

>>> with humans?!? The rising seas by some fraction of a centimetre is

>>> causing a

>>> “migration” of tigers *towards *humans? How can you let these types of

>>> statements go unchallenged, when any rational reporter of yesteryear

>>> would

>>> discard these ridiculous statements. Oh, but wait, Climate Change was

>>> last

>>> week’s money maker, so that explains Mr. Morris and his sales-inspired

>>> stupidity.

>>>

>>> In your efforts to sell more soap by using hot buzzwords, your disservice

>>> is doing nothing to help the tigers or the humans caught in the conflict.

>>> Instead, this deflection of the truth about the real cause of shrinking

>>> tiger territories is endangering every living being even more. How can

>>> the

>>> issue of shrinking habitat be addressed seriously with the publishing of

>>> such nonsense? Think about it, and then try and become a true news

>>> service.

>>>

>>> Jiggy Gaton

>>> www.animalnepal.org

>>>

>>> ------------------------------

>>> **

>>> **Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:15:46 +0530

>>> **AAPN List <aapn >

>>> ** BBC story on India's tiger widows : serious man animal

>>> conflict

>>>

>>>

>>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8411225.stm

>>> *Page last updated at 12:24 GMT, Monday, 14 December 2009*

>>> ** **

>>> Pain of India's 'tiger widows'

>>> *Tigers are even said to be invading villages, looking for food.*

>>>

>>> *Climate change is forcing humans and tigers in the Sunderbans delta of

>>> eastern India into closer contact - and attacks on people are on the

>>> rise.

>>> The BBC's Chris Morris reports.*

>>>

>>> *They are magnificent, but deadly. Rarely seen, hidden in the jungles. *

>>>

>>> *But now the Royal Bengal tigers which roam through the vast mangrove

>>> forests at the mouth of the river Ganges are coming into closer contact,

>>> and

>>> conflict, with humans. *

>>>

>>> * " It all happened so quickly, " says Anar Ali Mullah, a fisherman who saw

>>> his

>>> neighbour Ahmad killed by a tiger just a few weeks ago. *

>>>

>>> * " The tiger attacked with such force, " he said, gesturing to his neck,

>>> " Ahmad didn't stand a chance. " *

>>>

>>> *Dozens of people are killed every year by tigers in the Sundarbans. And

>>> local villagers say the number of attacks is increasing. *

>>>

>>> *Fishermen, honey-gatherers and poachers who venture deep into the forest

>>> are particularly vulnerable. *

>>>

>>> *'Afraid'*

>>>

>>> *In the village of Jamespur, Seba Mridha is trying to get her life back

>>> together. In May her house was destroyed by cyclone Aila. And two months

>>> later her husband, Ramesh, was killed by a tiger. *

>>>

>>> * " We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us at any

>>> time, " Seba says, as she sits on a small tree trunk with her two young

>>> sons.

>>> *

>>>

>>> **

>>> **

>>> * *

>>> * We're all afraid of the tigers - in the forest they can kill us at any

>>> time

>>> *

>>> *Seba Mridha*

>>>

>>> * " Without my husband how will I live? How will I support these two

>>> children?

>>> I have nothing right now. " *

>>>

>>> *In village after village across this vast waterscape you can hear the

>>> same

>>> story - tales of mourning, young widows, and real fear of the tiger. *

>>>

>>> *The last official census in the Sundarbans, carried out in 2004,

>>> suggested

>>> that there were 279 tigers in the forests. *

>>>

>>> *Some experts dispute the figure and believe the true number is

>>> significantly lower. Nevertheless, the Sundarbans remains one of the most

>>> important tiger habitats in the world. *

>>>

>>> *And that's why conservationists are working with local villagers who've

>>> lived through tiger attacks, trying to persuade them that they need to

>>> preserve their whole eco-system if their way of life is to survive. *

>>>

>>> * " Our basic message is if you save the tiger, the mangrove will be saved,

>>> and the mangrove will save you, " says Col Shakti Banerjee of the Wildlife

>>> Preservation Society of India. *

>>>

>>> * " The mangrove always survives the worst storms. It's the best protection

>>> for the tigers and for the local people. " *

>>>

>>> *Divine help*

>>>

>>> *Col Banerjee also points out that nearly all the attacks occur when

>>> humans

>>> enter the forests, not when tigers intrude into the villages. But there's

>>> little doubt that the two species have to co-exist in a shrinking space.

>>> *

>>>

>>> * " Climate change is causing accelerated sea level rise and an increase in

>>> the salinity of the southern Sundarbans, " says Professor Pranabes Sanyal

>>> of

>>> Jadavpur University in Calcutta. *

>>>

>>> **

>>> * *

>>> *The villagers are seeking divine help*

>>>

>>> * " That in turn is causing the migration of the tigers from the southern

>>> islands towards the north, close to the human habitation. That's why we

>>> have

>>> this man-animal confrontation - and the confrontation is increasing. " *

>>>

>>> *So the villagers of the Sundarbans turn to their local goddess Bonbibi

>>> (Lady of the Forest). *

>>>

>>> *In tiny thatched roof shrines, Hindus and Muslims alike pray to the

>>> goddess

>>> for protection, before they venture back into the forest. *

>>>

>>> *They know their environment is changing - and the effects are felt every

>>> day. *

>>>

>>> * " It's very scary, " admits Madhu Mondal as he prepares for another

>>> perilous

>>> journey on a small unprotected boat. *

>>>

>>> * " Sometimes the tiger will drag the corpse away as well. You'll never

>>> find

>>> it. That's what happened to my father. We went back later, but we never

>>> found his body. " *

>>>

>>> *More than four million people live in the Sundarbans - it's a precarious

>>> existence in an eco-system under threat. *

>>>

>>> *But many people need to fish or gather honey to survive. And they still

>>> depend on the wild, where the tiger lies in wait, hidden in the mangrove.

>>> *

>>> * *

>>> * *

>>> *How can tiger experts in Bangladesh encourage local people to protect

>>> the

>>> endangered Bengal tiger when these animals have a distinct taste for

>>> human

>>> flesh? *

>>> * *

>>> *Video Link : **

>>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm*<

>>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm><

>>>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm*%3Chttp://news.bbc.c\

o.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/7855671.stm%3E>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>> **

>>> *For more information, read Sy Montgomery's book " Spell of The Tiger :

>>> The

>>> Man Eating Tigers of Sunderbans. " *

>>>

>>>

[Guest guest]

>Encroachment is made by humans, not the weather.

 

 

Just go online & look at satellite photos of the Sunderbans

from 10-20 years ago & today, which I believe are posted several

places, since I have looked at them in the past.

 

There is obviously major encroachment coming from both

directions: the sea, where fiercer storms and higher tides are

eating habitat, as is also occurring in tidal forests around the

world, and on land as well.

 

This is NOT an either/or situation. The tigers are getting

squeezed, & since they cannot rapidly evolve into mammalian sharks,

more conflict with humans is inevitable.

 

Even if the humans all withdrew to the forest boundaries of

20 years ago, moreover, the squeeze would still occur, because of

the loss of habitat on the seaward side.

 

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

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