A mother in India fought a tiger with his bare hands to save his toddler on Wednesday (7/9). Local officials said the toddler was in the tiger’s mouth at the time.
It all started when Archana Choudhary was leaving her home in Madhya Pradesh state on Sunday (4/9) when the 15-month-old boy had to urinate.
A local official, Sanjeev Shrivastava, later said that a tiger came out of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve near the residence of Archana Choudhary and pounced on them.
The tiger, Shrivastava said, attacked and tried to bite off the boy’s head. However, his mother immediately jumped in to save him.
The tiger kept trying to catch the cub until the villagers heard Choudhary’s cries and helped save him. The tiger then slipped into the forest.
After that, ARchana Choudhary and the baby were rushed to hospital. The mother’s lung was punctured and she suffered an injury to her abdomen. During this time, the baby’s head was injured.
“He (Archana Choudhary has been admitted to hospital and is out of danger, recovering,” Shrivastava said as reported. Straits timeWednesday (7/9).
“The baby is fine too,” he confirmed.
Meanwhile, The Times of India newspaper said a search operation was underway to encourage the tiger to return to its territory. Villagers have also been asked to stay indoors at night.
Increasing human-wildlife conflict has been observed across South Asia as more forests are lost to urban expansion.
According to government data, nearly 225 people were killed in tiger attacks between 2014 and 2019 in India. More than 200 tigers were killed by poachers or electrocuted between 2012 and 2018.
India is home to around 70% of the world’s tigers and the tiger population is estimated at 2,967 in 2018.
(Tim/Chri)
