Tigress attacked in Kaliabor recovering, eye injury may prevent wild release
Dr. Choudhary added that if the tigress is not fully recovered then it would be very difficult to release her into the wild.
The left eye of the tigress after treatment has recovered but the right eye is yet to recover.
Kaziranga, Dec 7: The Royal Bengal tigress, which was attacked by a group of people at Koliabor and brought to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) under the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) at Borjuri, Kaziranga on November 21, is recovering but still under treatment. Talking to this correspondent, Dr. Bhaskar Choudhary, veterinarian of the CWRC, said the tigress's eyes were badly injured. The left eye of the tigress after treatment has recovered but the right eye is yet to recover. However, the chances of recovery of the right eye are very low for which the tigress might be required to be shifted to the Guwahati Zoo for a long-term care and survival.
Dr Choudhary added that if the tigress is not fully recovered then it would be very difficult to release her into the wild.
When contacted, a senior forest official, who earlier served in Kaziranga, said the State government needs to review its compensation policy to reduce any man-animal conflicts. If sufficient compensation is provided, which is proportionate to the existing market rates of cattle and other livestock, then people are likely to avoid any conflict with tigers or any other wild animals.
He further pointed out that the forest in Kamahkya Hill and areas in and around Hatimura in Koliabor happen to be tiger habitats which are also buffer zones of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. However, with the increase in human settlements in nearby areas, conflict with tigers increased. Sources in the Forest department suggested that the government needs to ensure proper monitoring of the situation so that such conflicts can be avoided.
A direction from the State government is required to be given to all administrative offices including the forest, civil and police to make sure that wild animals, if they stray into human settlements, must be saved through a joint coordination mechanism, irrespective of any wildlife or civil jurisdiction areas.
It may be mentioned here that the Kaziranga forest including its buffer zones happened to be an ideal habitat for the Royal Bengal Tiger for which the government needs to create awareness in the villages in and around all protected areas of the State, including the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
By-
Correspondent