A woman who had gone out to collect fodder for cattle was reportedly killed by a tiger in the Poornagiri area of Tanakpur on Wednesday evening.
Since February this year, four people have been killed by a big cat in the Poornagiri and Champawat areas. The forest department is talking of providing `3lakh ex-gratia to the bereaved family, apart from which a camera trap and cage have also been placed in the area in an attempt to identify and catch the big cat responsible for the human kill. The latest killing of a human by a big cat has sparked off fear among those using the Poornagiri route.
According to information received, Nayak Kheda village resident Hema Devi, aged 50 years, had gone along with other women from the village to the woods of the Sharada range to collect fodder for cattle and firewood. Members of the group of women reportedly got separated while collecting fodder and firewood. Hema Devi reached plot number of one of Kakrali compartment where a tiger believed to have been present there, attacked the woman. Hearing the roar of the tiger and the screams of Hema Devi, the other women in the area ran away from the woods and then managed to inform the forest department about the incident. The forest department team which arrived at the scene managed to recover Hema Devi’s body and ascertained that it had claw marks.
The sub divisional forest officer Rajesh Srivastav said that tiger movement was being seen for quite some time now n the Kakrali compartment of the Poornagiri area. Due to this, the forest department had been warning the local villagers to remain alert and stay out of the woods. Even on the day when the woman was killed during the evening hours, the department staff had reportedly warned the villagers in the morning against venturing into the jungle. According to sources, the forest department has made out a cheque for ` three lakh as ex-gratia which will be presented to the bereaved family. It is pertinent to mention here that since February 4, chance encounter with a big cat has led to the deaths of three women in the Kakrali compartment and one woman in the Boom range of Champawat forest division.