Siddhartha Mishra |The News Minute| November 28, 2014| 05.53 pm ISTOn November 15, he killed a woman in Pandaravalli village, Chikkamagaluru.Swift action was taken; he was apprehended. From there he was taken to the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, Belagavi… 416 kilometers away.But by then people knew of him, as papers and channels called him the “man-eater tigerâ€.Angry villagers in Khanapur demanded that the “man-eater†be taken away as soon as he was released into the forests. More than a week later, protests are still on in, the villagers want the “dangerous†“man-eater†taken away.“It is a three year old male tiger who is at a stage of dispersion which means he is away from his mother and looking for his territoryâ€, says Vinay Lutra, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, to the Newsminute. “He’s not a man-eater as reported by the media, conflicts arise when the tiger is looking for new territory and attacks due to fearâ€, he further explains.Since the day he was transported to the sanctuary the villagers had been complaining of the “man-eater†in the vicinity. This was even after forest officials had radio-collared him and had been monitoring him if he ventured close to human habitat. Tigers are generally known to turn into man-eaters when they can’t function to the best of their capabilities when it comes to hunting prey. So if they’re injured and if a human being is then killed by it, it finds humans as easy prey and kind of adds us to their menu. Thus, rebutting the “man-eater†adjective, Lutra says, “He is in perfect health with no injuries to him and he’s been in Bhimgad for 10 days nowâ€. “Do you think its stomach is empty?†he asks.“People get afraid because of such reports in the mediaâ€, he further adds.The animal was described by the Kannada newspapers as “nara-hantaka†or a “man-killer†and as a man-eater tiger by many English papers in spite of an article in the Hindu that carried a ‘Report with care’ message from Lutra regarding the issue.It’s understandable for the fear of God to take over us when confronted with the largest cat species. Honey-collectors in forests are even known to have masks with their faces on the back of their head to dissuade a man-eater. Jim Corbett entered our lexicon through hunting man-eating tigers and with the felines killing reportedly over 85,000 people in India ever year, they are feared. Of the reported 1,700 tigers that prowl our land, being labeled a man-eater has far reaching consequences with people killing the animal on sight regarding them to be a threat.For the past two weeks the villagers have continually been protesting against his presence. At least in this case, a life has been spared, but with villagers consistently protesting, the department is under tremendous pressure to take the tiger out of the sanctuary.