Human-tiger conflict in Ranthambore

| Video Credit:
The Hindu

On November 4, Uliyana village in Ranthambore reserve in Rajasthan was rocked by tragedy. A local herder, 51-year-old Bharat Lal Meena, was killed while grazing his goats near the reserve.

Witnesses claimed they saw the tiger, T-86, sitting near the lifeless body, prompting villagers to take swift and violent action. Armed with stones and axes, a group of enraged locals descended upon the tiger, ending its life in a chaotic clash of fury and survival.

For the people of Uliyana and nearby villages, encounters with tigers are an unsettling part of daily life.

Ranthambore National Park, once a wildlife sanctuary, is now grappling with an overcrowding crisis. Housing 75 tigers, including cubs, the park far exceeds its capacity to support around 40 adult tigers. With limited territory to roam, tigers are forced into perilous clashes—both with each other and with the humans who encroach upon their shrinking habitat.

As humans and animals continue to share shrinking spaces, the question looms: how can we find a balance where neither is forced to pay the ultimate price?

The Hindu spoke to the family of Bharat Lal Meena and other villagers as they grapple with this crisis.

Read more: In Ranthambore, tigers and humans struggle for space and survival

Report: Alisha Dutta

Production: Sabika Syed

Editing: Tayyab Hussain

Voiceover: Sharmada V