There is an old saying that goes, ‘There is no right or wrong, only a difference of perspective.’ This applies well in life too, especially at times when you do something for a good cause, but the way you chose to do it could be wrong. Recently, a video of a forest guard, who was seen taking picture of an injured tigress, went viral. At first, people were astonished to see him trying to get close to the tiger on foot and called it wrong. But, later, on coming to know the actual story, they started heaping praises on him and calling it an act of bravery, although, technically, it was not a right thing to do.
IFS officer Rajnish Kumar Singh, who is the Deputy Director of Pench Tiger Reserve, also shared the video on Twitter, calling it “insane”. But, soon after, on getting to know the real story behind the incident, he tweeted, “Often we react a little too quick, without knowing the other side of the story, I guess I made same mistake, Apologies to the braveheart!”
And, then, there was another tweet from him: “The forest guard was informed by watchers about a tiger who was limping. During his routine foot patrol he saw the same tiger and he started taking video to show it to his seniors and discuss the condition. When he couldn’t get a good angle, he tried to go a little near and his this act of bravery/stupidity was being captured by tourists. It is not for the first time that forest guards encountered a tiger during foot patrolling, and, definitely, this was not the last either. But running towards the tiger on foot is not justifiable in any situation.” So, the question remains – was it right or wrong?
Indian Masterminds interacted with IFS officer Rajnish Kumar Singh to know the details about this incident, and, also, the many shades of a forest guard’s life.
DON’T COMPARTMENTALISE
Mr. Singh is of the opinion that trying to fit everyone into the compartment of right and wrong rather fast is not advisable, as there is more to the world than just right and wrong. “My own learning is that we should look at things in totality. Not just to keep them in the compartment of good and bad.”
Speaking about the forest guard incident, he said, “This was an incident in the Panna Tiger Reserve. When I saw the video, at first sight, it seemed that someone got down from the tourist vehicle and went near the tigress. And, obviously, tourists are not supposed to get off their vehicle. Also, this video was sent to me by someone, saying that it is of my Park. But, seeing the grass, I understood that it is from somewhere else, because there is no such grass in Pench now. After I put it up on Twitter, people’s reactions started pouring in. Then we came to know that this video is from Panna Tiger Reserve. I talked to the Director of Panna and got to know the whole incident.”
THE INCIDENT
From the Director of Panna, Mr. Singh got to know that the forest guard in question is one of the most sincere guards there. He was on routine foot patrol and was just doing his duty. He had been told earlier by the watchmen that a tiger or tigress was seen the previous day limping, and, in all probability, Kanhaiya was its name. That is why, on coming across the tiger suddenly, the guard thought of making a video to show it to his seniors and doctors, so that further procedures and tracking could be done. However, coincidentally, a tourist’s gypsy was also at the spot and some tourists made the video and made it viral.
RIGHT OR WRONG
Now the question is whether what he did was right or wrong. To this, Mr. Singh replied, “If you take a simple look at it, it was wrong. Even from the point of view of a forest officer, there is no doubt that it was wrong. We do not give such training to anyone – that if you see a tiger, run towards it and click photos. But, then again, there is also a lot of gray shades between black and white. So, it is normal for us to always try to walk an extra mile in whatever work we do. Like, if we are about to miss the train, then we run after it and try to catch it somehow.”
He added that even if running after a train is not right, we do it because it was necessary at that point of time. In this way, people make small mistakes in every work, but there is a bigger purpose behind these ‘mistakes’ at times.
In the forest, a forest guard encounters one wild animal or the other every day while on foot patrolling. They have been taught to remain calm in such a situation. “Yes, in this incident, the forest guard has definitely tried to walk that extra mile. He sees these animals every day, so he went near and took a photo. It was a coincident that someone happened to be near and made the video and made it viral. Otherwise such things happen quite often in the jungle,” Mr. Singh said.
THE INJURED TIGER
The tiger that was limping could have been injured in a fight with another tiger or tigress. Tigers are very territorial and get into fights with one another often. When something like this happens, the watchman informs the forest guard and the guard then informs his seniors and the doctors. When the doctor is informed, he usually asks for a photo or a video to see what type of injury it is. That is why the guard must have thought of making the video. So, he was actually just doing his duty, even if he went that extra mile and invited risk of the tiger’s attack.
About the tiger in question, Mr. Singh said, “We do not interfere in the unnecessary natural process regarding the injury of a tiger. Simply put, only one or two out of 100 injuries are treated. Yes, if there is an injury to the neck or head, which the tiger cannot lick, then it is surely treated. But, Panna’s officials will decide in this matter. That is what is necessary right now.”
