‘We give our blood’: from tiger victim to conservation hero (Bardiya, south-west Nepal)
On 6 January 2004, at the end of the Maoist rebellion, Bhadai Tharu was attacked by a tiger in the Khata Corridor Forest, south-west Nepal, on the border with India; he had been elected chairperson of this forest six months earlier. Due to this ‘sudden encounter’ (jamkā-bhet), in which he lost an ey...
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris
2024-12-01
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| Series: | European Bulletin of Himalayan Research |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/2749 |
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| author | Nolwen Vouiller |
| author_facet | Nolwen Vouiller |
| author_sort | Nolwen Vouiller |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | On 6 January 2004, at the end of the Maoist rebellion, Bhadai Tharu was attacked by a tiger in the Khata Corridor Forest, south-west Nepal, on the border with India; he had been elected chairperson of this forest six months earlier. Due to this ‘sudden encounter’ (jamkā-bhet), in which he lost an eye, his life changed completely, apparently for the better. Regarded as a ‘conservation hero’ by various media, foreigners and locals, and receiving visits from legendary actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Rajesh Hamal, Bhadai Tharu has rapidly become someone whom anyone interested in narratives of animal attacks around Bardiya National Park has to meet. With his lively stories and songs that leave a strong impression on those who listen to him, Bhadai embodies the resilience and the unconditional ‘love’ that we have towards wildlife. Based on the interview I conducted with him in November 2021, on what has been published about him in several media sources and on what some informants have to say about his story, I analyse a process of heroisation and the choice of ‘giving blood’ to conservation endeavours. This narrative echoes many other encounters that have occurred in Bardiya since 2019 and might be the case of many more to come. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-76e92f7ebdff4916acb33ec6a67d2c02 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2823-6114 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Bulletin of Himalayan Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-76e92f7ebdff4916acb33ec6a67d2c022025-08-20T03:08:06ZengCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), ParisEuropean Bulletin of Himalayan Research2823-61142024-12-016310.4000/13mzt‘We give our blood’: from tiger victim to conservation hero (Bardiya, south-west Nepal)Nolwen VouillerOn 6 January 2004, at the end of the Maoist rebellion, Bhadai Tharu was attacked by a tiger in the Khata Corridor Forest, south-west Nepal, on the border with India; he had been elected chairperson of this forest six months earlier. Due to this ‘sudden encounter’ (jamkā-bhet), in which he lost an eye, his life changed completely, apparently for the better. Regarded as a ‘conservation hero’ by various media, foreigners and locals, and receiving visits from legendary actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Rajesh Hamal, Bhadai Tharu has rapidly become someone whom anyone interested in narratives of animal attacks around Bardiya National Park has to meet. With his lively stories and songs that leave a strong impression on those who listen to him, Bhadai embodies the resilience and the unconditional ‘love’ that we have towards wildlife. Based on the interview I conducted with him in November 2021, on what has been published about him in several media sources and on what some informants have to say about his story, I analyse a process of heroisation and the choice of ‘giving blood’ to conservation endeavours. This narrative echoes many other encounters that have occurred in Bardiya since 2019 and might be the case of many more to come.https://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/2749narrativesHuman-wildlife conflictsouth-west Nepaltigerencounter |
| spellingShingle | Nolwen Vouiller ‘We give our blood’: from tiger victim to conservation hero (Bardiya, south-west Nepal) European Bulletin of Himalayan Research narratives Human-wildlife conflict south-west Nepal tiger encounter |
| title | ‘We give our blood’: from tiger victim to conservation hero (Bardiya, south-west Nepal) |
| title_full | ‘We give our blood’: from tiger victim to conservation hero (Bardiya, south-west Nepal) |
| title_fullStr | ‘We give our blood’: from tiger victim to conservation hero (Bardiya, south-west Nepal) |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘We give our blood’: from tiger victim to conservation hero (Bardiya, south-west Nepal) |
| title_short | ‘We give our blood’: from tiger victim to conservation hero (Bardiya, south-west Nepal) |
| title_sort | we give our blood from tiger victim to conservation hero bardiya south west nepal |
| topic | narratives Human-wildlife conflict south-west Nepal tiger encounter |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/2749 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nolwenvouiller wegiveourbloodfromtigervictimtoconservationherobardiyasouthwestnepal |