Towering trees creating a green canopy over our heads, rivers carrying sparkling clean water that tasted like nectar, cacophony of sounds emanating from the various inhabitants of this land each busy with an activity that their instinct told them to do, a place where life was a game and everyone played by the rules, this was home.
Times have changed though. Parched rivers, diminishing green canopy, threats from predators who wanted a share of our land has made our life a struggle for existence.
I needed to strike today. It was a typical summer night as I treaded towards those lights I had been keeping an eye on for the last few days. He was standing with his back towards me, an easy target, I thought to myself. I pounced on his shoulder and brought him to the ground. He howled in pain and cried out for help. Anticipating danger, I began tugging at him faster, but in vain. If I had to escape, my only choice was to leave him behind. One last look at him, and I disappeared into the darkness, right where I had come from.
Circumstances and an inflicted injury have forced me to attack men. I have to do this in order to feed my four hungry little ones, until eventually I meet the same fate as the rest of my tribe. If Change was the only permanent thing in this world, I wish the change was for the good, for everyone’s good.
Jim Corbett Park in northern India is known to be the best tiger reserve in the country: a park official was mauled by a man–eating tigress during my visit in 2005. An otherwise wonderful tiger spotting experience in the jungle was marred by this incident. Tigers are beautiful creatures that tend to harm humans only under duress. Excessive poaching, plundering and looting forests is pushing India’s national animal into extinction. There are about 1700 tigers in the country today and only a matter of time before we see the last of them walking on Earth. Let’s look at the world through their eyes .Let’s let them live.
