A lady who killed a tiger in self-defense became a household name in Mizoram in 1978; she died on July 19 after battling with cancer for months.
Zadingi, aged 72, is believed to be the only woman in India who managed to kill a tiger by an axe.
In July 1978, news said that when she went for firewood at a forest near her home Buarpui situated in Lunglei district of central Mizoram together with her companions, the tiger attacked her. She was then three months pregnant.
According to Zadingi when she remembered this incident later on, there were no seconds left to escape as the wild animal jumped out at her. As it sprang forward, she deflected and swung back her axe forcefully.
The blade caught the tiger mid-air and penetrates its skull causally killing it instantly.
At 24 years old Zadingi was a local heroine whose bravery attracted recognition from Indian President in 1980.
Locals claimed that sometimes she would feel remorseful about killing “god’s creature” and advocated for wildlife conservation. Since 1980s, tigers have hardly been seen anywhere around Mizoram.
Lunglei shares borders with Mamit district which houses Dampa Tiger Reserve measuring approximately five hundred square kilometers. In India there are few tiger reserves which do not have resident tigers like this one.
Mizoram based Wildlife officials say there have been no records of tigers sighted within Dampa since nearly three years ago. The last recorded species were just some “foreigners” that had strayed into the country through the India-Bangladesh border next to these national parks.
Dampa Tiger Reserve came into existence as such in 1994 after four of them were seen inside its boundaries during that year. However among other places Dampa has more clouded leopards than any other area.
