Attacked by a Tiger
In many parts of Asia, it is still common for local men to go into the forests and jungles in search of wild pigs to hunt.
Long knives, bow and arrows, and rifles are all weapons used for the hunting pigs in different parts of Asia.
This is an interview and story of a young man who accompanied his father into a forest in Myanmar on a hunt for pigs.
We met at a hotel coffee lounge in Chiang Mai, Thailand where Eain Taka shared his story with me…
Eain, whom calls himself “Beer” is originally from Shan State, Myanmar and his story take place in the area of Kho Lam.
When he was fourteen he recalls, he and his father were out in the forest hunting for pigs. They both had rifles and his father had just shot a pig. His father was walking ahead of Beer as they were going to retrieve the killed pig. His father was on the left and Beer behind, on the right.
Then in the forest about 4 meters from Beer, appeared a tiger.
It lunged toward him but as he was being attacked, Beer ducked and the tiger clawed only his shoulder.
Scars from the tiger’s claw
Beer ran and then lied down on his stomach and called for help to his father.
His father responded by shooting the tiger with one bullet which did not kill the tiger but the tiger retreated away and out of the area into the forest.
After the attack his father took Beer back to his home, which is a traditional village rice farm home. A local doctor came and gave him two injections.
Beer recalled that he was in a great amount of pain and could not move his shoulder. His mother was crying.
He stayed in bed for three days as he could hardly move.
Everyone in the village came to see him and wanted to know what had happened.
After the third day he started feeling better and after a week had basically recovered.
He did not return to school but instead worked at a nearby farm for a year. At sixteen he came to Chiang Mai where he had a relative, and he attended a local language school for one year to learn to speak the Thai language. At this time, he was also employed at a local Thai restaurant as a waiter.
After working for three years as a waiter he then found a job at a bar, working as a dancer and entertainer.
While in Thailand, Beer later learned his father and locals went into the jungle many times to try and hunt the tiger.
Eventually after two years from the original attack they killed two tigers. They used eight or nine dogs to track the tigers. They ate the tiger and sold the skins in the city each for about the equivalent of two hundred dollars.
Beer’s father is now sixty-two and still works in the rice field.