爲獲政府賠償 印度村民將老人送保護區喂老虎

印度某老虎保護區附近的貧困村莊頻繁發生老虎咬死老人事件，調查結果發現，居然是村民自己將家中老人送到保護區內喂老虎，目的是獲得政府賠償。更令人意外的是，村民們沒有否認罪行，而是解釋說老人們都是自願犧牲的，因爲他們想要家人過上更好的生活。可以想見是怎樣的貧困，纔會讓老人自己選擇走上絕路。

In a horrifying trend recently reported by Indian media, poor villagers near the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve are allegedly sending their elderly relatives into the jungle as tiger prey, so they can then claim compensation from the government.
據印度媒體報道，印度最近出現一種可怕的現象：皮利比特老虎保護區附近地區的貧困村民爲騙取政府的賠償金而將家中老人送到保護區內喂老虎。

The disturbing tactic was discovered by officials at the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) in Uttar Pradesh, who, upon inspecting several mauling sites near the tiger reserve, noticed evidence of foul play. In the most recent case, reported on July 1st, the mauled body of a 55-year-old woman was found in a field near her village, but bits of her clothes were found one kilometer away, in the tiger reserve, and tractor tracks leading into and from the jungle showed that the body had been relocated.
這一殘忍伎倆被北方邦野生動物犯罪控制局一位官員識破。他在老虎保護區附近檢查老虎傷人地點時發現了謀殺的跡象。報道稱，最近一起案件發生於7月1日，一名55歲婦女橫屍村莊附近的田地，屍體佈滿撕咬的痕跡。但她衣服的碎布卻在1千米外的老虎保護區被發現，並且拖拉機輪胎痕跡都指向保護區，由此可推測她的屍體被移動過。

Tigers in the Pilibhit Reserve are allowed to run free, so if people venture into their territory, they are not eligible for compensation from the Indian government. If they are attacked outside the borders of the reserve, however, their families are eligible to receive important sums of money from the state. Following an unusually high number of reported tiger attacks on elderly people from villages near the reserve – seven deaths since February – wildlife officials began to suspect that something was off.
老虎可在皮利比特保護區內自由活動，因此如果是闖入老虎領地被咬傷或咬死的，政府有權不賠償損失。若是在保護區外被攻擊，傷者家屬纔有權向政府索賠。隨着保護區附近村莊的老年人被老虎攻擊的案件不斷增多，從2月到現在已有7人死亡，野生動物保護官員開始懷疑事情有些蹊蹺。

After gathering enough evidence, villagers were accused of deliberately sending elderly members of their communities into the jungle to be killed by the wild animals, so they could then claim compensation from the government. Instead of denying the claims, locals only added that the victims volunteered to forfeit their lives so their families could have a better life.
在收集了足夠證據後，相關部門起訴了那些故意將老人送去喂老虎以便向政府索賠的村民。村民們並未否認罪行，只是解釋說受害者都是自願犧牲的，因爲他們想要家人過上更好的生活。

“They think that since they can’t get resources from the forest, this is the only way their families can escape poverty,” 60-year-old Jarnail Singh, a farmer, told The Times of India.
當地60歲的農民賈奈爾•辛格告訴《印度時報》，由於他們無法再從被保護的森林裏獲取資源，這種向國家索賠的方式是許多家庭脫離貧困的唯一方式。

Kalim Athar, the WCCB official who arrived at the shocking conclusion after investigating the shocking attacks, has already submitted a report, and told reporters that the matter has been referred to the National Tiger Conservation Authority for further action.
野生動物犯罪控制局官員卡利姆•阿塔爾調查了這些驚人襲擊案後得出了令人震驚的結論。他告訴記者，他已經將報告提交給國家老虎保護局，等候下一步行動。