Daulat Singh Ji shaktawat

Personal Information

Forest Officer – Dy. Conservator of Forests, (Rtd.)

(Ex- Member Standing Committee State

Wildlife Board, Ex-Member LAC-RTR,

Representative NTCA, Consultant WWF-INDIA)

August 20th, 2010, was a day marked by misfortune. T-7, a male tiger, had been driven from his territory by a rival and was found wandering 40 kilometres away in Bhuri Pahadi, a village on the periphery of the Ranthambhore Reserve. The tiger had already killed a buffalo, escalating the crisis. The situation was dire. Heavy rains had turned the landscape into an impassable maze of ravines. An uncontrollable mob of villagers, ignoring the 150 police and forest staff present, began pelting the cornered animal with stones, forcing it into a thick agriculture field. The tiger grew visibly irritated by the relentless shouting and stone-pelting.

Tranquilizing the animal seemed impossible amid the dense crops and chaos. We scaled a nearby mud mound, hoping for a clear shot. I spotted a few stripes of the tiger sitting within the foliage. It knew we were there. The tiger stood, moved toward the forest edge, and vanished into the field.
The mob’s assault continued unabated. Then, a roar pierced the air. In an instant, the tiger burst from the scrubs and launched itself at me. I had no time to retreat. Raising my right hand to block its charge, I felt its paw land on my shoulder as it clamped its jaws around my forearm. The sheer impact knocked me flat. My head was terrifyingly close to its canines. A forester and guard, reacting quickly, hurled their lathis at the animal. The tiger roared once more and bolted. I was left critically injured, facing death so closely I felt souls brushing past me. The entire brutal event, captured in photographs by onlookers perched on trees and machans, was a chilling reminder of the raw power of nature.

Following an accident, he served for nearly seven years at the RTR, retiring as a Deputy Conservator of Forests. He channelled his extensive experience into vital conservation work, actively participating in tiger relocation projects both during and after his formal tenure. His contributions included serving as a Member of the Standing Committee of the State Wildlife Board, a Consultant for WWF India (specializing in the development of western tiger landscapes), and a Representative of the NTCA. He also played a key role as a member of the state-government-notified expert committee responsible for the establishment of the Ramgarh Vishdhari and Dholpur Tiger Reserves.