Chhota Matka
Chhota Matka, the Tadoba tiger crippled in a territorial fight, has been tranquilised and shifted to a treatment centre after the Bombay High Court ordered intervention. Viral videos and outrage forced action. But this is not a rescue — it is interference.
Tigers fight, bleed, recover, or die. That is nature. Cruel, yes. But honest. Humans now believe they can rewrite that law. By dragging Chhota Matka into captivity, they claim compassion while seizing control. If this is acceptable, what comes next? Will we decide whether a tiger may eat a boar? Will we stop him from killing a deer for dinner? Step by step, wildness is stripped away.
The forest department failed until shamed into movement. Now they present a cage as care. But it is arrogance — humans deciding which tiger lives, which tiger suffers, and which tiger must obey. Our feature on Conservation Practices explains why interventions are often less about nature and more about control.
Based on Nagpur Today, India.
Photo via Nagpur Today.
