Munna Speaks; I Listen

It's always been the other way around, the human talks or writes about this magnificent creature; rarely do we know and understand the tiger's point of view. Here's an attempt to do so!!!

Meet Munna who is all of fifteen years old measuring 10.5 feet from head to tip of tail. In his heydays he was the `Badshah of Kanha.' He was often spotted in the vast meadows of the tiger reserve, having little fear of tourists & their jeeps. Known for the famous CAT lettering on his forehead, Munna reminds me of the `Bachelor Tiger' from Jim Corbett' famous book -`The Temple Tigers, and more Man Eaters of Kumaon.' Incidentally the Bachelor Tiger measuring twelve feet from head to tail had to be eliminated as it turned to a man eater. Now at the twilight of his life Munna has strayed away from his original territory in the core area, into the buffer zone; spending much of his waking hours stalking for prey, ranging from stray cattle to injured animals or for that matter, even smaller prey.

I chance upon Munna resting on his back, with feet pointing towards the vast open mid morning sky and seized the opportunity to strike a conversation with him. Initially irritated, he let out a large roar until I reminded him of our many encounters during his adulthood when he roamed across the forest without any apprehension or care. He grudgingly agrees to answer some of my questions, I promise not to stamp on his toes or ask him any controversial questions! Swaying his head nonchalantly, means I have earned the `right' to ask!

Me: Tell me, why do predators like tigers, lions & leopards turn to becoming man-eaters?

`You are asking the wrong tiger', Munna wryly replies. `I was never a man-eater & will never be one! Kanha never had one though tigers attack human beings when provoked. And this mostly happens when we are with our cubs. I remember the Churu tigress killing a young boy who accidentally fell off from elephant back while on a tiger show. Feeling threatened she smothered the child on the spot. Then there was an unsuspecting patrolling guard scouring the forest in the wee hours of the morning. All of a sudden he was confronted by a tigress with cubs. Poor fellow, suffered a horrific death as the skull was torn apart. In both these instances the tigers felt intimidated, leading to an instinctive assault.

Munna halts for a moment as if to give me sufficient time to grasp the ghastly details before going on to answer my question. `Now I know why you asked me this question, was it because of Avni who was killed at a reserve in our neighboring state a few days ago?' ` Yes,' I reply,` not just Avni , there are leopards & lions at Gir as well as a couple more tigers around Corbett who have turned into man- eaters.'

Munna responds philosophically, (I imagine, if he were a man instead of beast, he would be twirling his moustache now)! `We live in a new age mate, the buzz I get from neighboring tiger reserves is forest areas are shrinking resulting into smaller sanctuaries. Predator population is increasing as it normally does. Remember we need large tracts of land ranging from 40 to 60 square kilometers for each of us, which we call `our territory.' `However with the shrinking of forests due to demand from man because of their increasing needs, we are often forced to venture into the buffer zones where we come in contact with human beings who often visit these zones for a number of activities ranging from firewood collection, to extracting honey from honey combs, grazing their cattle & at times for small time farming activities.'

Munna pauses, I see the saliva dripping from his mouth & also notice his canines are intact. He proceeds in a matter-of-fact manner, `we operate on our instincts, spending a major part of our life hunting for food, the rest of the time is for marking our territory, procreation & finally taking care of our young offspring.' `While there is no intention of bringing down a two-legged creature, often it's the empty stomach that forces us to do the unnatural. To catch them unawares we often attack a human from the back or when squatting. Once a tiger develops a taste for this blood it turns into a man eater. To summarize: hunger, depletion or blocking our regular animal corridors & scarcity of prey turn us into `cannibals'. Put in another way, humans must stop intruding into our territory, we will respect them & not trespass into theirs.'

Me: But Munna, there were man-eaters for centuries before, especially during the time of Jim Corbett when shot more than a hundred tigers in the twentieth century?

`Stop quizzing me,' Munna angrily responds....then goes on. `During those days there was little to distinguish between animal & human territory. Many tribal people along with the poor lived inside & on the periphery of jungles. So there was a constant clash resulting in many man-eaters who devoured poor humans especially during the times of famines & in forests situated at the foothills of mountains, like Corbett Tiger Reserve, Dudwa National Park & Rajaji Tiger Sanctuary. 'This ultimately ended in the early fifties of the 20th century. By 1970 we were down to a few hundred tigers because of unabated hunting by the super-rich including Royalty & Expatriates. It was only after Project Tiger which began in 1971 we were able to increase our population to about 2500 in recent times.'

Me: Hear that tiger are regularly hunted down for bones, meat, claws & skin? What's the truth?

`You should be knowing the truth coz you are the guys who hunt us down.' Munna lets out a huge roar while getting onto his feet. `Glad you asked, this is what I told all my cubs I seared & reared. When you see these creatures on two legs, avoid them like the plague, run for your life, for they feed on every part of our body, private parts included!' `It all depends, we normally produce about 10 kilograms of bone. One kilogram would fetch about USD 5,000 in Taiwan and China. The poachers consider the upper bone of the front legs most valuable.' Then there is the skin, eyes, whiskers, claws and genitals to be considered as well. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses these parts mainly for arthritis and rheumatism, besides being used as an aphrodisiac as well. At times we find ourselves in store shelves of the biggest cities in the world. All in all we are worth about 100,000 quid. And there are just about 2500 left. It sucks, you know.'

Me: Yes, it's terribly sad & I understand. What about the future, Munna?

`Remember this sentence: If the forest survives, tigers will thrive & so will humanity.' Munna bends forward & starts liking his paws.

Me: Could you elaborate, please? `

The tiger is at the forefront of the ecosystem, each time you spot a predator like us, you can happily conclude the green cover is in a healthy condition - there's sufficient foliage, plenty of prey & a sustainable number of predators. Large tracts of forest land also bring in sufficient rainfall as compared to concrete jungles where global warming, & increase in temperature is a foregone conclusion. Remember world over we're experiencing extreme summers, extreme winters & unpredictable amounts of rainfall.

As opposed, there is more consistency in the woodlands - sufficient rainfall, gradual change in temperature, forest cover ensures summers are not too harsh & most importantly water gathered during the monsoon creates streams, rivulets & fills up lakes & rivers, ensuring a steady supply to humans living in surrounding areas. Reducing forests will only mean more pressure for all beneficiaries.

Me: Such pleasure speaking to you Munna, you are a revelation!!!

`Growl, growl, growl.....am beginning to feel hunger pangs, better get moving before I change my mind!!"

I quickly tell the mahout seated with me on the elephant to retreat back to the tourist information center.

Hector Dsouza -With more than a million words & countless pictures to his credit, Hector has published his articles & edits in several magazines & periodicals, including Dreamscapes, Canada; Travel Times (Times of India), Afternoon Despatch, Mid-day, Hindustan Times - Travel Section, Good Safari Guide, UK; E Turbo News, United States, Travel Biz Monitor, Mumbai & National Geographic Traveler (Online Edition - India). He is also a Brand Builder (SouthWest Germany), Founder (L'orient Travels), Past Guest Lecturer (Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies), & when time permits becomes a tour escort. He is a Certified Hatha Yoga instructor & believes regular practise helps keep the body agile, mind alert & builds a closer bonding (of him) with the Universe.