A fisherman, along with his family was out to catch crabs off the Thakuran river creek in the Sunderbans on Tuesday morning when a tiger pounced on him. But Gurupada Bhuyiyan fought off the animal even as it took a swipe at him in the forests of Batakati. The fisherman from Kultali’s Kishorimohanpur tried to throttle the tiger with bare hands. As the latter fought back, Bhuyiyan suffered injuries on his elbows and hands. Bhuyiyan was rescued from the tiger’s grip by his wife Protima, who attacked the tiger with a sickle (da), even as his son, Tapan, dragged him away. The father and son duo then joined Protima in fighting the tiger off with sticks, finally forcing the big cat to beat a hasty retreat. “The tiger suddenly pounced on me as I sat down to attend nature’s call. I caught hold of the tiger’s neck and tried to strangle it. The animal struck me hard but I didn’t leave its neck till my wife attacked the animal with a weapon,” Bhuyiyan said. He is now undergoing treatment at Jamtala hospital in Kultali. The additional divisional forest officer (South 24-Parganas), Dibyendu Bera, said, “The forest staff helped bring the Bhuyiyan family to Kultali from the Batakati forest on a speed boat.” The incident comes a few months after another fisherman had fought off a tigress inside the Sundarbans wildlife sanctuary on August 22. Fisherman Nitai Bor fought off the big cat for over five minutes till four others, including his two brothers, came to his rescue. The tussle lasted for another 15 minutes. The tigress eventually walked away in defeat but not before mauling Bor’s right arm. Bor is still undergoing treatment at SSKM Hospital.
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