Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
Perilous proposal
Down To Earth
|June 01, 2025
Villages near Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve oppose plans to open yet another ecotourism zone in light of rising attacks by the big cats
ON THE morning of January 9 this year, 56-year-old Bhuvanchand left his house in Uttarakhand's Kyari village to collect fodder for his cattle from the forest. “He would usually return by 2 pm. But that day, there was no sign of him till late evening,” recalls Nirmala Belwal, Bhuvanchand’s wife. So Belwal and her son, Pawan, went to find Bhuvanchand. They saw grass soaked in blood just 3 km inside the forest. Bhuvanchand’s body lay a further 2 km away, mauled to death by a tiger.
This was the first tiger attack in 50 years seen in Kyari, located in the Ramnagar forest division on the fringes of the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve. That same week, nearby villages Chhoi and Dhela reported similar attacks. Overall, between March 2024 and March 2025, the forest division saw 12 tiger attacks, a senior forest official tells Down To Earth (DTE) on condition of anonymity. “Sensing a tiger or an elephant nearby while collecting grass from the forest has never bothered us. But increasing ecotourism is changing the behaviour of animals adversely,” says Bhagwati Sati, a farmer from Kyari.
This story is from the June 01, 2025 edition of Down To Earth.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Down To Earth
Down To Earth
GREAT NICOBAR DILEMMA
In the fragile ecosystem of Nicobar, strategic development must align with constitutional commitment to protect environment, indigenous dignity
3 mins
March 16, 2026
Down To Earth
CATCH BY THE ROOTS
Sabai grass could be a game-changer for the marginalised economies of West Bengal's dry uplands. All it needs is an efficient market strategy
4 mins
March 16, 2026
Down To Earth
POWERING TRANSITION
India's renewable ambitions are rising rapidly, with half of its installed power capacity now coming from non-fossil sources. Yet the gap between capacity and generation remains wide. The experiences of two pioneering states, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which together generate over a fifth of the country's renewable energy, offer crucial lessons for accelerating the transition, reports PUJA DAS from Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi
16 mins
March 16, 2026
Down To Earth
At core of survival
Water scarcity defines life in a village inside Sariska Tiger Reserve's critical habitat, as debates over its relocation drag on
5 mins
March 16, 2026
Down To Earth
What's on your plate
An upcoming digital tool can help people learn about the origin of their meals and make climate-positive food choices
2 mins
March 16, 2026
Down To Earth
'Bad environment can never be good economics'
The Supreme Court of India and even the high courts were once very active and took a proactive role in protecting the environment; unfortunately, that is no longer true
4 mins
March 16, 2026
Down To Earth
Things fall apart
IN THE past year, the world has counted more missiles and bombs than hours.
2 mins
March 16, 2026
Down To Earth
Universities in crisis, innovation is stifled
Political control and skewed policies have led to unrest in academia, stifling creativity and meaningful research
4 mins
March 16, 2026
Down To Earth
SPARK IN THE GAME
The Reserve Bank of India's restored recognition of Default Loss Guarantees re-enables credit flow into last-mile electric mobility
3 mins
March 16, 2026
Down To Earth
Ushering in new eras
An appraisal of the state of biodiversity conservation, pollution reduction and climate adaptation regimes in India
3 mins
March 16, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size