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SNU unveils BAGH protective gear against Sundarbans tiger attacks
Sister Nivedita University has designed special protective gear called BAGH.
It is meant to help people who enter the Sundarbans forest and waterways.
These people include fishermen, crab collectors, honey gatherers, and forest guards.
BAGH covers the head, neck, shoulders, and upper chest.
It uses several strong and shock-absorbing materials.
The gear is designed for the Sundarbans’ hot, wet, and salty conditions.
The university has shown the prototype to wildlife and tiger reserve officials.
More testing and mass production are planned.
Sister Nivedita University developed BAGH, a lightweight head-and-shoulder guard for people facing tiger attacks.
The gear combines a rounded helmet, neck protection, and upper-torso coverage using stainless steel, Kevlar, D30 material, and foam.
It is intended for fishermen, crab collectors, honey gatherers, and forest guards working in the Sundarbans.
More than 30 people were reportedly killed in tiger attacks inside the Sundarban Tiger Reserve from 2021 through July 2026.
SNU plans controlled testing and field validation while seeking manufacturing and distribution partners.
- Who
- Sister Nivedita University, with researchers and the Sundarban Tiger Widow Welfare Society, developed the BAGH protective gear.
- What
- A lightweight, integrated head-and-upper-body guard designed as a first barrier against tiger attacks.
- Where
- New Town, Calcutta, for use in the Sundarbans and Sundarban Tiger Reserve.
- When
- The first physical concept was handed over on August 15, followed by a formal consultation on August 25; casualty figures cover 2021 through July 2026.
- Why
- To protect people who enter the Sundarbans for livelihoods and face human-tiger conflict.
Key facts
- Product
- BAGH, or Bite Avoidance Guard Helmet
- Developer
- Sister Nivedita University in New Town, Calcutta
- Intended users
- Fishermen, crab collectors, honey gatherers, and forest guards
- Protection area
- Head, face, neck, shoulders, and upper torso
- Materials
- Stainless steel, red Kevlar, D30 impact-absorbing material, and foam
- Reported casualties
- More than 30 people killed in tiger attacks inside the Sundarban Tiger Reserve during 2021-26
- Next steps
- Controlled testing, field validation, and efforts to secure manufacturing and distribution partners
Quotes
Raj Sekhar Aich
SNU psychology professor and coordinator of its Centre for Climate, Sustainability and Transdisciplinary Research
““Unlike a conventional helmet that generally ends around the base of the skull, BAGH has a continuous protective silhouette extending from the head through the neck and across the shoulders and upper torso. Its rounded, enclosed crown is intended to cover the head, while the side portions incorporate ear-covering protective structures,””
telegraphindia.com
““It is a dire need for many poor people to enter the forests of the Sundarbans for their livelihoods. They risk their lives to catch crabs, prawns and fish and collect honey. For people like them as well as forest guards, BAGH would be a great help,””
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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