This week I read the article, Tiger Population Grows in India, as Does Fear After Attacks. by Ellen Barry and Hari Kumar of The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/world/asia/tiger-population-grows-in-india-as-does-fear-after-attacks.html?ref=science ,this article explains the conflicts that humans are facing with the rebounded tiger population.
With their increasing population through species preservation, the tiger's contact with humans is becoming a heavier concern. These conflicts are occuring precisely in the areas where the tiger population is being protected. Unfortunately these massive animals are enroaching on settlements that are not accustomed to their presence, therefore the people living in these settlements treat the tiger's visit with noisy furor instead of the subdued, systematic method used by earlier generations used to the presence of tigers.
The nature of the tiger's attacks of humans noticeably changed after a short period of time as a result of the tigers discovering how easily accesible humans are as prey and also the fact that these tigers are becoming fond of having humans as a part of their diet. Ullas Karanth, a wildlife biologist who also runs the India program of the Wildlife Conservation Society said, "These conflicts are the price of conservation success." This conservation program is providing protection to these tigers, and because of this the protection of humans in the area of these tigers is declining to a hazardous level. Therefore tigers who beome man-eaters must be killed, but are exceptionally difficult to catch.
Across the state border in Uttar Pradesh, gunmen have been summoned and provided the license to kill. The forests in which the tiger is believed to be inhabiting are so immensily dense, that the gunmen have no other choice than to hunt the man-eating animal on foot rather than riding on the backs of elephants as they customarily would do. Last weekend brought the 10th death in six weeks attributed to these animals, hopefully the growth of the popluation will continue, however only at safe consiquences to their human neighbors.
I was shocked that these efforts to conserve the population of these animals turned out to have such a negative effect on humans. I find that the killing of the tigers who start to become dependent on having humans as a part of their diet is unfortunate but necessary. If these animals were not killed, there is a possibility that they could evolve and become adapted to having humans as their desired choice of diet. This article relates to the topic of the food chain that we had talked about previously this year. Humans efforts to prevent the extinction of tigers is obviously concerning the balance of the food chain involving this species. Also since the species is increasing in population, they have started to seek alternative sources of prey,which unfortunately happens to be humans.
There is definetly some controvery in this article about how people will react if this problem becomes more serious or uncontrollable. Some may have different opinions on the fact that the tigers should be completely protected and separated from humans, and others may have opinions more about the issue of human safety regarding these attacks. Its hard to accept that the strenuos efforts to conserve the tiger species have resulted in such a way that they may have to be killed to enforce human safety.
Aimee, your clever wording and your title caught my eye. I too thought that preserving animals had only positive effects. I was really surprised when I read in your article that the tigers that were being preserved were hunting people. I think that the tiger-human conflicts are a little more than “the price of conservation success”. I was more shocked that Ullas Karanth called these deaths a price and so quickly swept human casualties under the rug. I think if the tigers are hunting humans, it will be beneficial to cut back their numbers. I 100% support the shooting of tigers that pose an imminent threat to human life. If the “price” we have to pay to save some tigers is human casualties then I say no way to tiger conservation.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! Started off with a great title and kept getting better and better. It was very easy to read and the paragraphs were not to large. It stinks that we have to kill these majestic beasts because if we don't they will kill us first. It is terrible both ways you look at the problem. One we are losing a population of great beautiful animals but we are risking the safety of humans. I am guessing that those human casualties were people who were not being safe and striving away from a safe zone but we cannot risk the lives of our own. All in all great post.
ReplyDeleteVery creative title! This was an excellent blog post. Very easy to read, short, and to the point. I really hate the fact that it has come to this. These beautiful animals have gone one step too far. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteI like the title it was very cute! Although the title was cute the subject matter was not. This is very scary to think about I am glad I do not live there! It is sad to think that these animals must be killed but inorder to save people I agree that they must. After reading this I was surprised how the animals short of evolved into having a human diet. Great job
ReplyDeleteI really liked your title! Its strange that you pointed out that all the attacks are because of conservation efforts. I wonder how the people can work so hard to save a species but not know how to deal with it being around them. I didn't know that the tigers would evolve to eat humans once they realized how easy to eat we are. You did a good job pointing out the dilemma of trying to save them but also not letting them eat humans. Good post.
ReplyDeleteAimee, I really enjoyed your post. I loved your title because it was really creative. I think that it is crazy that people put so much effort into saving the tigers only to go back and kill them. Who knew the tigers were going to be so harmful to the humans in the area? I agree with the article that the tigers should be killed to help the people in the area however it is a shame. Its so sad that we have to kill some tigers. Great job!
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ReplyDeleteI thought that it was interesting how trying to save the population of anoher species would have such a negative impact on ours. Sadly you can't reason with the tigers. I don't entirely agree with the killing of the tigers however it may be the only way to stop all these uncalled for attacks. I liked your title! I wish you included a picture, but not having one had no effect on the overall blog post. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI was attached right from the title!!!! The title was really creative and cute! I thought it was very sad that tigers must be killed to help human life. It's interesting because we are losing the populations of these animals, but we are also risking human life. I agree with you! It is shocking to recognize that these efforts to conserve the population of these animals turned out to have a negative effect on humans. Over all, great post!
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ReplyDeleteExcellent writing piece! :-) I think you chose a topic which is extremely important, as when people think they are helping a species but are actually harming it, the most important thing to do is to spread the word. You gave lots of interesting details about the situation in India like how you explained how the hunters were being given licenses to kill the tigers and how that is an ethical pickle. Most importantly, your title was very funny. :-) Overall, really exceptional job!
-Travis
First and foremost, I enjoyed the clever pun hidden within your title. However, not only did I enjoy your title, I enjoyed the entirety of your post. This topic is a true dilemma. Of course Tigers deserved to be saved and conserved, but what if that is dangerous to humans? This seems to be a circle of life, so to speak. Us humans hunt and kill tigers, and then realize our wrongdoing and do our best to save them. We are so successful that they begin to enjoy us as snacks! Is there anything we can do to help? If we keep killing tigers, they will go extinct. If tigers keep killing us, we will be very unhappy and dead. Overall, a great blog post with excellent questions posed.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog post. I liked how it wasn't too long and it kept me interested the whole time. It is sad to know that tigers have to be killed in order to protect humans! I liked the connection to our biology class. I would have never connected the food chain to this topic. The tiger problem is a huge one because we want the humans to stay safe, but we do not want the tigers to go extinct. More people need to know about this problem so it can be solved correctly. Overall, I really enjoyed this blog. Awesome job!
ReplyDeleteAimee, I really loved this blog post. The length was great, but it was still packed with interesting and useful information. I think the topic you picked was extremely important, because it helps us realize what we are actually doing to a species instead of what we think. The only thing I wish you added was a picture of a tiger, I found my eyes wondering at some points, but overall, great job with this blog post!
ReplyDeleteI liked your post. Your title was interesting and caught my eye, and it definitely connected to the article. The topic you picked was interesting (though a bit gruesome to think about), and I don't think we pay enough attention to problems like these until it is too late. It isn't terribly surprising, given the nature of tigers, that humans could easily become a food source. I don't think that tigers who eat humans necessarily need to be killed because its not their fault. Humans are full of great nutrients and tigers instinctively kill and eat prey. I think it is more our fault that we put ourselves in such dangerous situations, even though we know that tigers are wild animals and ought to be treated as such. Your use of quotes was pretty good, and overall your analysis seemed reasonable, even if I don't share your opinion.
ReplyDeleteI really like your title Aimee, it caught my eye. I did a similar article about certain animals becoming extinct except mine was about Rhinos. I also don't really blame the tigers that might attack humans because they might be crossing onto their land and they are trying to defend it ( not to sound cruel or anything). But, overall I really liked your article. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteGreat Job! Your title caught my eye because it was really creative. First, your blog post was very interesting because you gave great examples on why conserving too much land for tigers can lead to negative effects. For example you talked about how tigers are putting humans into their diet. Also, you expanded on your ideas which was helpful to understand what your article was about. Finally, I agree that it is sad that these tigers will have to be killed but it is the right choice because people are being killed by them. Overall, your article was fun to read and was well written.
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Aimee! Your title really caught my attention and made me want to read more. I thought this article had some extremely interesting information in it and you did a very good job summarizing it. I definitely agree that while having to kill these tigers is unfortunate, it is necessary in order to protect humans. It is concerning that humans are now a part of some tigers' diets. I think it's unfortunate that many humans have put so much time and effort into conserving tigers, only for the tigers to become a danger to our species! Overall, this post was well organized, well written, and very interesting.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the title for your post is absolutely adorable and sparked my interest in this article right away. This is the first I've heard of these attacks and I find them extremely unsettling. I realize that we're the only species with the ability to think abstractly, but I always assumed other species had the ability to realize what was helpful to them and what was harmful. Knowing that these tigers can't distinguish between their prey and humans that are helping them makes me aware of how dangerous these animals are. I don't know any possible solutions for this problem but I know we need to find one quickly. This was a great post!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that there were tiger encounters actually happening. I have heard of bear encounters though. Anyways great Job explaining the situation about the tiger attacks. You gave a lot of really good detail. I also like how you put you opinion in about this situation, and how they have to do want they have to do to keep people safe. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your catchy title and it made me interested in reading your post. I hadn't heard much about tiger attacks on humans before and I didn't think it was a big problem, probably because they are endangered. It is a bit of a paradox how humans can hurt and kill tigers, but when we try to protect them, they end up killing humans. Overall, your post was very well-written and thorough.
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