LPG-run ovens to keep Sunderbans fishermen away from tiger habitat

Fishermen in Sunderbans region are being provided with small ovens fitted with LPG cylinders to stop m from collecting firewood from reserve forest, where y often fall prey to tigers, a top forest official said on Monday.

Chief Wildlife Warden Ravikant Sinha said 100 LPG-run ovens will be supplied to as many fishermen in Basirhat block of rth 24 Parganas district, as part of a pilot project.

"We have plans to reach out to as many fishermen as possible in forest belt after having determined success and sustainability of this initiative. One cylinder can last up to 12 days, time usually taken by fishermen to complete one trip," he said.

As options are limited in Sundarbans - world's largest mangrove forest intersected by rivulets and creeks - fishermen often anchor ir boats on banks and enter jungle to collect wood.

Many of m are mauled to death by tigers inhabiting forest, Sinha said.

"We want to stop this practice as soon as possible.

This new initiative, if successful, will reduce incidence of tiger attacks on humans.

"On Saturday, 23 cylinders were distributed among fishermen in rth 24 Parganas, with assistance from NGO Society for Herit and Ecological Research, and rest would be doled out soon," he told PTI.

Over past two months, at least two villrs were killed by tigers when y ventured into jungle looking for firewood in Kumirmari and Deulbari areas of Sunderbans. In both cases, half-eaten bodies of victims were found later, forest department sources said. 

Im credits: PTI