The Sundarbans’ deadly reputation strikes again, with fisherman Ram Pad Beraman becoming the latest casualty of a tiger ambush. The 45-year-old resident of Chhota Mollakhali in South 24 Parganas lost his life Tuesday, shortly after a similar tragedy rocked the region.
Permitted to collect crabs, Beraman’s group navigated the labyrinthine mangroves when a tiger erupted from hiding, clamping onto him ferociously. His companions’ shouts and sticks repelled the animal long enough to evacuate him by boat to medical aid, but injuries proved mortal.
Post-incident, police secured the site and arranged for forensic examination of the body. Nisha Goswami, Divisional Forest Officer, affirmed compliance with safety norms: ‘Regular advisories urge caution—noise-makers, group travel, and avoiding dusk hours.’
Bereft of its breadwinner, Beraman’s household with his spouse and children embodies the human toll. The Sundarbans, a biodiversity hotspot teeming with 258 recorded tiger attacks last year alone, pits conservation against subsistence fishing.
Echoing this week’s prior event on February 8 near Kalas Island, where a man was gruesomely snatched amid his wife’s screams, these incidents fuel debate. Rising tiger density from anti-poaching measures collides with economic desperation, spawning fatal overlaps.
Stakeholders advocate tech like GPS collars on tigers, drone surveillance, and skill-training for alternative livelihoods. Until then, each dawn brings dread to Sundarbans’ fringes, where jungle bounty tempts despite mortal peril.