Tiger kills shepherd in Paoni forest, 10 camera traps deployed to identify animal

Nagpur: A 58-year-old shepherd, identified as Rajkumar Dashrath Khandate, was killed by a tiger on Sunday evening in the Paoni territorial range of Maharashtra in Ramtek tehsil. The attack took place deep inside the forest in reserve forest compartment number 750, near a water body known as Gondi Phata Lake.
Khandate, a resident of Khanora in Deolapar tehsil, had gone to the forest to graze his cattle when the tiger attacked him.The incident has once again highlighted the ongoing man-animal conflict in the region, which had seen a lull of 18 days after a 65-year-old woman was mauled by a tigress on September 18 in Jhinjeria in buffer zone of Pench Tiger Reserve Maharashtra.
The spot where the incident took place is far away from Jhinjeria, where the previous attack had occurred, suggesting that this may be a different tiger. The forest department has intensified patrolling and deployed 10 camera traps to identify the tiger responsible for the attack and take necessary action to prevent further loss of human life.
On being informed about the incident, forest officials including Nagpur Deputy Conservator (DyCF) Bharat Singh Hada and RFO Rishikesh Patil rushed to the spot and met the victim's family members. The forest department has decided to employ the son of the victim as a temporary forest labourer and will also hand over a cheque of Rs10 lakh to the family on Monday morning as part of the Rs25 lakh package paid to victims of tiger and wild animal attacks.
The incident has raised concerns among locals about the safety of those who venture into the forest for their livelihood, such as shepherds and cattle grazers. The forest department is expected to take steps to prevent such incidents in the future and ensure the safety of both humans and animals in the region.