Even as international experts had a brainstorming on how to save Indian tigers at Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve, a tiger killed another person just outside the main reserve. The person was a resident of Sundherkhal village in Corbett’s buffer zone, where a tiger had killed four persons in January
this year.
The Uttarakhand forest department officials shot dead the alleged man-eater near the village.
His death had provided air to claims that the state forest department had killed the wrong tiger in January.
“The man-eating animal was probably a tigress and not a tiger, claimed as man eater by the state forest department,” said Navin Raheja, former member of steering committee of Project Tiger.
Raheja was of the view that the man-eater tigress would resurface after some time and may attack people in other areas.
The Friday’s victim was attacked at a different location than the earlier incidents.
“The tigress is highly cautious and it making its moves in a calculated manner,” he said.
Unlike the January incident, the Uttarakhand forest department has not declared the animal as man-eater.
“We are not in a hurry. We will first try to capture the animal,” said Anil Baluni, deputy chairperson of state forest advisory council.
There are said to be 13 tigers roaming in the buffer zone of the Corbett, where over 1,000 people live in Sunderkhal village and are vulnerable to attacks by tigers. Baluni said the only option was to relocate those living in Sundherkhal.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority had this week held a consultation with wildlife experts from the United States and Australia, two nations, which do not have tigers, for better protection and conservation of the endangered big cat.
None of the experts, who are still in Corbett, visited the Sunderkhal village, after the incident, area officials said.
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