Jan.
21, 2013 — A new study finds a complex web of factors increases perceived
risk of tiger attack in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh.
Wildlife
conservationists are well aware of the potential conflicts that exist between
the endangered species they seek to protect and the human populations which
inhabit areas where the animals live. Carnivores, such as tigers, pose a risk
to humans and their livestock and can be killed because of this potential risk.
Previous research has found that killing of animals can be motivated as much by
social and psychological factors, such as perception of danger, as by any
actual real risk posed by a species.
A
new study published in the Springer journal Human Ecology has identified
several key factors which may contribute to perceptions of risk from tigers in
a conservation area in Bangladesh. The study, by Chloe Inskip and her
colleagues from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology in Kent, UK,
and WildTeam, Bangladesh, is the first to use participatory risk mapping (PRM)
and in-depth interviews to explore the wider socio-economic context of
human-tiger conflict.
The
survey was carried out around the Sundarbans mangrove forests of south-western
Bangladesh, home to one of the world's largest remaining tiger populations.
Although there are no human inhabitants of the Sundarbans, eight sub-districts
with a total population of around 1.7 million people lie directly adjacent to
the forest boundary. Records indicate that approximately 30-50 people are
killed annually by tigers in the area.
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