Four days after an elephant was shot down in Betla of Palamu Tiger Reserve on October 12, a big elephant killed a tiger tracker Ram Janam Singh (55) in the same Betla range near Palamu Quila compartment one on Monday.
MP Singh field director PTR said elephants are very intelligent animal and can't say if this is any revenge killing. MP Singh's deputy Anil Kumar Mishra said there were three tiger trackers patrolling in the Quila side.
All of a sudden there came an elephant before them and two of the three tiger trackers scampered for their lives. They ran as fast as their legs could take them. The two trackers then rolled down in a nearby trench.
This proved a major saving for them. The elephant stopped chasing them and got concentrated on Ram Janam Singh.
Mishra said this tiger tracker was running straight and here the elephant chased and caught hold of him. Had this tiger tracker ran zigzag he would not have met with this fate.
Asked if this tiger tracker was a novice to which MP Singh and AK Mishra both said separately, “He had 20 years of experience to him. He knew the mood of the elephant. How he ran straightIJ It is an enigma to us.”
Mishra said, “Our tiger trackers know what to do in such a situation but here Ram Janam Singh just lost his reflex action.”
Sources said he had not run even beyond one KM when he was trampled to death by elephant. Absence of slope further brought death to this tiger tracker as chasing elephant loved running straight and this tracker was running in a linear fashion said sources.
As ex gratia relief his family has been given Rs 50,000, said Mishra. The remaining Rs 3.50 lakh will be given on the receipt of fund from the Government.
Jharkhand Government now doles out Rs 4,00,000 for death by elephant.
PTR officials are trying to find out if Ram Janam Singh was a registered fellow with Wild life Trust of India and if found registered then his family would get another Rs 100,000 apart from 4 lakhs from the Government of Jharkhand.