Local families are sending older members into the forest as tiger prey. This bizarre tradition is said to be followed inside the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Utter Pradesh. Their bodies then relocated to fields, to feign attacks and claim lakhs in compensation from the government.
Locals, however, say family elders were willing participants in the whole affair. “They think that since they can’t get resources from the forest, this is the only way their families can escape poverty,” farmer Jarnail Singh said.
On July 1, it was alleged that a 55-year-old woman had been killed by a tiger in her field. Conservator of forests V K Singh inspected the site and dismissed the claim.
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