Wildlife forensic genetics for understanding human-tiger conflict in Corbett tiger reserve (CTR,) India

2^nd International Conference on Forensic Research and Technology

October 07-09, 2013 Hampton Inn Tropicana, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Sujeet Kumar Singh, Vipin, Sudhanshu Mishra, Puneet Pandey, Ved Prakash Kumar and Surendra Prakash Goyal

Accepted Abstracts: J Forensic Res

Abstract :

Attacks of tigers on humans have become more frequent in recent years in India because of human-tiger conflicts. In this paper we tried to understand the causes of human-tiger conflicts on the basis of a case study in which a tiger attacked and killed three women and one man during the period of two months (December, 2010 to January, 2011) in Corbett tiger reserve. Two blood samples (WII ID 3002 and 3005), suspected from a wounded tiger, collected and sent to Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India by the concerned forest department from the different sites in forest and two; one blood (WII ID 183) and one tissue (WII ID 2992), samples from the shot killed tiger, while it was seen eating human flesh, on 27 January, 2011 were found to be from a single tiger individual after the four samples were genotyped on 11 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci (seven tiger specific and four heterologous loci, designed for the domestic cat). Anthropogenic pressure on tiger populations due to human encroachment, exploitation of forest resources and habitat degradation by various developmental and tourism activities were found, most likely, to be the causes of human-tiger conflicts and these type of tiger attacks on human in Corbett tiger reserve, India.