Food crisis cause of gradual decrease of tigers: Ziaur Rahman:
By Luit Neil Don on 25 August, 2007 14:48:00
GUWAHATI: At the age of 15, he began his mission of trapping tigers and
hunting man-eaters. Now at the age of 65, he is still young at heart in his
job: hunting. Till today, he has captured more than 100 tigers in different
parts of Assam. He was also invited by Madhya Pradesh, Chatishgarh, and Orissa
governments to hunt man-eaters. Known as the second Jim Corbet, this man born
in Majbat in Darrang (now Udalguri) district is no other than Ziaur Rahman.
Besides a hunter, Rahman is also a conservationist and writer. A hunter and
fishing enthusiast in early life, his admiration for tigers and leopards grew,
he resolved never to shoot them unless they turned man-eater or posed a threat
to cattle. Between 1957 and 2002, he tracked and killed at least 40 man-eaters.
It is estimated that the combined total of men, women and children these 40
animals had killed was in excess of 200. Attending the Guest of the Month
programme organized by the Guwahati Press Club here on Saturday,
Rahman went down memory lane discribing his journey from the first encounter
with tiger.
“When I was a kid, a tiger eat our goats in Merabeel village in Majbat. I was
very shocked and depressed.I decided to kill that tiger and made a bamboo bow
and arrows to hunt that tiger. And then, I spent one night awake to kill that
tiger. I attacked the tiger with several arrows," he said. After 20 days,
Rahman killed as many as three tigers. In 2002, he captured a leopard with a
blanket.
"In 1991, I was invited by the Madhya Pradesh government to hunt two man-eaters
which killed and attacked many people, specially women. The tigers targeted the
women because, they used to faint in front of the man-eater. The MP government
spent more than Rs 20 lakh for killing the tigers, but failed. After 45 days of
hid-and seek game, I captured two tigers - Mayadevi and Rupak, and a leopard.
The Government awarded me with a cash prize of Rs 10,000," Rahman said.
But what are the secrets of his success? "The technique and bravery," said
Rahman, adding: "Whenever, I go out in a mission, I am always followed by a
scared person. So he helps me in the jungle because he jumps if he sees a frog
also."
Rahman, who was born in 1942, is of the view that food crisis and poachers are
reasons behind gradual decrease of tigers in Assam. "I am sure that less than
1,000 tigers are in the country. We are responsible for this. The way we are
destroying the forests, food, the time is not far that this beautiful animal
will fast diminish from the nation," he said.
But, during his lifetime, except some cash awards, Rahman did not get any
recognition. Lamenting on the subject, he said: "Even my department did not
give me leave when I went to hunting."
http://www.assamtimes.org/index.php?news=405
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