JAIPUR: Officials of the forest department have ruled out the possibility of a maneater mauling a 22-year-old youth at the Ranthambore reserve on Saturday. They say it is just a sad accident.
”There is no way we can call the tiger a man-eater. It so happened that the youth came in the way of the tiger and so he was mauled by the animal for self-protection. It is just a sad accident," said RN Mehrotra, chief of forest force.
On Saturday, Ghamamdi Saini was mauled to death near the Jhoomar Bawdi at the Ranthambore forest reserve. Saini had gone to the forest to cut wood when he was attacked.
”The person did not know the tiger was in the vicinity and ventured close to it only to be killed," added Mehrotra.
Forest officials are awaiting reports to confirm whether Saini was mauled by a tiger or a leopard. "The reports are awaited and so we cannot say conclusively the youth was killed by a tiger. There is a leopard that also roams the area. But definitely it was a big cat that killed the youth," said RS Shekhawat, DFO, Ranthambore.
On Saturday night after the news of Saini's death spread, locals had expressed their ire by blocking road in the area. They were demanding compensation. However, they were assured of all help and pacified.
"We have been monitoring the movement of all animals in the area and they look normal. We have to study them more to come to a conclusion to identify the animal responsible for the death," added Shekhawat.
Alerted by the second of its kind of incident this year at Ranthambore, officials are contemplating putting up signboards in the forest warning people to stay off.
"We would be putting up signboards warning people of the presence of tigers in the region. This apart we would also be putting up boards asking people not to venture into the forest after sunset and before sunrise," added Mehrotra.
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