Forbidden kingdom: A tiger in Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh (Source: Getty Images)
The Forest Department officials are on their toes in Chandrapur district with as many as five human deaths in the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve’s core and buffer areas being attributed to a single big cat.
The latest incident occurred on Sunday morning when a man, Rajesh Dadmal was killed near Kolara on core-buffer border. This was close on the heels of killing of Rajyapal Nagose from Bamangaon village on June 4.
“Earlier four incidents have been caused by same tiger as camera trap images have shown. Since the Sunday’s incident has also took place in the same area, it is most likely by the same tiger. But we will be able to say that for sure only after getting camera images tommorow,” said Deputy Conservator of Forest, TATR, Guruprasad.
Asked why no orders have still been issued to capture the tiger despite at least four confirmed killings when the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines require only two fatal attacks, Guruprasad said, “The first two incidents were in core area, which is inviolate space and hence tiger can’t be seen as responsible. But we had sought advice from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest after the next two incidents. The fifth one happened before we could take a call after the fourth incident.”
The series of incidents in TATR core and buffer had began on February 15, when a man from Kolara village was killed. It was followed by an incident on April 8 and later by another in May.
With this, the total number of human deaths in big cat attacks in Chandrapur this year has reached 12, one of which is by leopard while rest all by tigers.
Besides, two deaths each have been reported from Gadchiroli, Gondia and Bhandara districts and one from Nagpur district. These take the Vidarbha tally to 19. Interestingly, 11 of these have occurred in the corona lockdown period.