Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Tiger attacks on the rise, linked to climate change

Last week, I found a story aboutman-eating catfish evolved from improper burials techniques -- pretty much a perfect premise for a horror movie. Well, apparently those giant bottom feeders aren't the only creatures sent to punish mankind for their trespasses against the environment. Now, scientists in India fear that tiger attacks may be on the rise due to habitat loss at the hands of climate change and a decline in prey animals like crocodiles. 

They say that tigers in India's wildlife preserves are turning on humans because coastal erosion and rising sea levels are shrinking the tigers' habitat. These tigers live on a series of small islands called the Sundarbans on the border between India and Bangladesh -- an area that scientists say has lost 28% of its habitat in the last 4 decades. While portion of that was tiger habitat, the greatest percentage was habitat for their prey. As the mangroves decline and become more salty, prey is becoming scarce -- making livestock and humans potential targets. Over the past 6 months, tiger attacks have claimed the lives of 7 fisherman in the surrounding area.

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