Tiger Attacks
Tigers are one of the few species that still regularly predate on humans. Most of us do not live in an area that is likely to make us a tiger snack, but of you are here are a few tips. Bengal tigers of the Sundarbans region alone kill over fifty people a year. Tiger also earn the enmity of some people by killing livestock.
Step 1) Avoid the Tiger
Even tigers that hunt humans don't come into town to do it. So as long as you stay in town you are quite safe. It is also a bad idea to approach an animal a tiger as killed as it will likely remain in that area.
Step 2) Confuse the Tiger
Apparently tigers like to stalk people and attack them from behind. This is why, if you are walking in tiger country you don't want to be alone, or be the person at the very back of the group.
But if you cannot find some slower moving friend to trail along behind you, the Indian Government has another suggestion--wear a mask on theback of your head. This means the tiger cannot attack you from behind and will, presumably, move on to an easier and less befuddling target. Since these masks were issued in 1986, for a while no one wearing a mask was been attacked by a tiger. However in some areas the tigers seem to have seen through this little ruse, so it plans to have a back up plan.
Step 3) Stay Upright and Alert
Tigers are more likely to attack a person who is crouched over such as a hunter or someone harvesting a crop. If you stay upright they will often not make the attempt. Also, tigers leap from ambush, so if you stay alert, see them, and look right at them, it will often stop the attack. Whatever you do, don't turn your back! Don't assume you are safe because you are in a vehicle. Tigers have been known to attack people on boats and even mounted on elephants.
Step 4) Use a Weapon
Once a tiger commits to an attack it is very difficult to repel. There is no point trying to strangle a tiger as the a designed for diving underwater and can quite a while without a good breath. Your best bet is to use any implement you have to hand to beat or stab the tiger until it gets the idea you are going to be far too much trouble. In extremis surprising weapons have proved successful against a tiger, for example: a soup ladle. Although it may have helped that the man being attacked was helped in this case by his wife. Tigers prefer to attack people who are alone and can be easily put off by timely and persitent assistance.
Step 5) If You Can't be Safe...
If, perchance, you do get killed by a tiger don't be poaching in a nature reserve at the time. because then you family will not be compensated for the loss.
Photo credit: archer10 (Dennis) / Foter.com / CC BY-SA
Long Neck
In Thailand it is said that the neck coils worn by some women began as a defense against tiger attacks.
Superstition
Because tiger attach is life-threatening and unpredictable it is a breeding ground for the development of superstitious beliefs. for example it is thought that certain physical trait make one more likely to be attacked by a tiger and that this risk can be averted by marrying a child to a dog. Unless the dog is a match for a tiger, i don't really see this helping.
A Serious Note:
If tigers are to continue to survive their habitat needs to be preserved and the livelihoods and safety of people in surrounding areas preserved as much as possible, such as by paying compensation for lost stock. Ultimately a tiger does what comes naturally to it and it is our responsibility to know how to preserve their habitat and keep humans as safe as possible form these creatures.
In areas where tigers live, workers often have to go into dangerous areas, and fall victim to tiger attacks. In regions such as Bangladesh the widows of tiger victims are considered bad luck and are often socially ostracised and consigned to lives of loneliness and poverty. Some of these women have grouped together to form the Tiger Widow Association to try to develop new ways to make a living and push for fairer treatment.