Park design:

The Sundarbans is very well-known throughout the world for its tiger attacks. Less remembered is Dudhwa Tiger Reserve which was once severely affected by man-eaters.

It is thought the design of the park led to the problem. An inadequate buffer area around the reserve meant a great deal of conflict occurred between villagers and tiger.

The first tiger attack at Dudhwa Reserve:

Just over 20 years ago Dudhwa became famous for its tiger attacks. The first one was on the 2nd March, 1978; this was closely followed by 3 further kills.

The population demanded action from authorities. As is usual in cases of this type, the natives wanted the man-eater shot or poisoned. The killings continued, each one making headlines.

The mystery of captive-raised Tara:

Officials soon started to believe that the likely culprit was a tigress called Tara. Conservationist Billy Arjan Singh had taken the British born cat from Twycross Zoo and raised her in India, with his aim being to release her back into the wild. His experiments were also carried out on leopards with a respectable element of success.

Experts always felt that Tara would not have the required skills and correct hunting techniques to survive in the wild and controversy surrounded the project. She also associated men with providing food and comfort which meant she would probably approach villages.

Officials later became convinced Tara had taken to easier prey and become a man-eater. A total of 24 people were killed before the tigress was shot. Billy Arjan Singh joined in with the hunt, but firm confirmation regarding the correct identity of the tiger never came.

Despite many years having passed, this debate still rages. Supporters of Billy Arjan Singh continue to claim that the tiger was not Tara and the conservationist has produced evidence to that effect. Meanwhile, officials continued to maintain the tiger was definitely Tara.

Captive-raised tigers and man-eating:

At this stage it is considered highly unlikely experts will find a successful means by which to release captive-bred tigers back into the wild. Cubs released at a young age will certainly starve to death. Due to their previous associations with man, older juveniles may approach human settlements in the search for food. Their risk of becoming man-eaters is particularly high.

(Continued Page 10)

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