For days now, a controversy is simmering about a Tigress called T1, accused of killing 13 villagers around Pandarkawada, about 150 kilometres from Nagpur. The tigress has two 10-month-old cubs. The killings happened between June 1, 2016 and August 28, 2018. The forest department has declared the tigress a man-eater in order to kill it. There are certain legal stipulations, but one part of the Act says, "No wild animal shall be ordered to be killed unless the Chief Wildlife Warden is convinced that such animal cannot be captured, tranquilised or translocated." This amendment watered down to a great extent the blanket powers of the Wildlife Warden.

Questions, questions
Did T1 actually eat the victims or simply kill them and tear them to shreds? This column is based on newspaper reports, and there appears to be no mention of whether the tigress actually ate its victims. If that was not done, how on earth can it be declared a man-eater? Human beings are not part of the normal food chain of tigers. In due course, a tiger would make at least one kill every week. Between June 2016 and August 2018 i.e. approximately 112 weeks, it would have made at least 112 kills. In the present case, the number will be higher because she is also feeding two 10-month-old cubs.