Shambu Nath, the villager who was allegedly attacked by a tiger.

JAIPUR: In a bizarre case of human greed, villagers living in the periphery of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) are claiming compensation for feigned injuries in the name of tiger attacks.

According to forest officials, this is turning into a huge 'menace'. In the latest such suspicious incident, a shepherd named Shambu Nath claimed that he was attacked by a big cat near Devpura checkpoint on Sunday.

He claimed that the minor injuries on his elbow were caused by the tiger. He was taken to the local government hospital for first aid.

A forest official, on condition of anonymity, said, "As per the preliminary investigation, there is no evidence of any tiger attack. While a tiger was seen in that area, there are no signs he had attacked the villager. Villagers often claim they have been attacked so that they can demand compensation."

While the state does provide a financial aid of Rs 4 lakh in case of death in a tiger attack, there is no provision for compensation in case of injuries. However, villagers demand 'financial assistance' from local forest officials, which is given to ensure that the situation does not go out of control.

Dept gets bogus calls of big cats lurking around

In such cases, the department draws money from funds of the tiger foundation.

A forest official recalled how during the rescue operation of 13-year-old male tiger T-28, famously known as 'Star' or 'Sitara', in RNP's Chaan village of Khandar area in March last year, an official was forced to pay Rs 30,000.

"The villagers surrounded the vehicle in which the rescued big cat was being taken to the forest. They pelted stones and attacked the vehicle demanding compensation for injured people. However, none of the villagers were actually attacked by the tiger. A few of them were injured but that was because the old tiger growled at the large crowd that had gathered. A few fell while running," he said.

In majority of incidents, the tiger only attacks villagers when they enter the forest area, an official said. Since the tiger population at Ranthambore is higher than its carrying capacity, many big cats often stray out of forest areas. Source said the department was having sleepless nights due to bogus calls received daily of big cats lurking around. These calls are getting more frequent as villagers are hoping to earn some quick money.

Chief conservator of forest (wildlife & field) and director, Ranthanbore Tiger Project, Sawai Madhopur, Manoj Parashar said, "On an average, some three of the 10 complaints of tiger attacks from villages near RTR are found to be genuine. However, we cannot consider all of them to be hoax or bogus as a majority of villagers cannot differentiate between a tiger, a hyena or a leopard. We have to take every call seriously."

