KOLKATA: A fisherman had a narrow escape in the Sunderbans area of South Bengal on Sunday after fellow fisherfolk fought off a tiger, which had pounced on him.
Officials said the tiger was trying to drag the fisherman into the forest when the fellow anglers rushed to his rescue. They picked up semi-solid pieces of mud from the riverbank and hurled them at the big cat.
A handful of mud hit its eyes after which it dropped the fisherman and fled into the wild, officials said.
Jadav Mondal, the victim, was admitted to a local healthcare centre with the help of forest department personnel.
Mondal, who had been leading a group of six anglers, left the Pakhiralay village on Wednesday to fish in the core area of the Sunderbans.
“Jadav, who was busy hauling his catch in knee-deep water, was caught unawares as the tiger crept up behind him. Before the fellow fisherfolk could alert him, the tiger pounced on Jadav and started dragging him away,” the official said.
Aurobindo Mondal and Manoranjan Khatua realised that mud was the only weapon to fight off the big cat.
“We initially missed our target. Luckily, however, a slice of mud hit the tiger’s face and blinded him momentarily,” Aurobindo said.
Jolted, the tiger dropped Jadav and disappeared.