Brave act: 70-year-old fights off tiger to rescue cow - www.daily.bhaskar.com

Bhopal: In a daring act, a 70-year-old shepherd Mangilal of Bhindora village fought off a tiger attack just to rescue a cow. Armed with only a bamboo stick, the septuagenarian not only chased away the tiger but also guarded the cows all night long before handing them to their owner. Notably, the beast has already hunted down 27 cattle in last one month. Narrating on how he encountered the tiger in jungles, Mangilal said, “Like always, I had taken my cattle for grazing near the hill top on Sunday. It was 5 in the evening when I halted with the cattle herd near a mine. I rested near the bushes while the cows drank water. The next moment I saw a tiger that crept into the herd and attacked them.” Mangilal took no time to hit the tiger back with his stick. “As soon as the stick hit the tiger, it left the cow. Thinking that it would attack me, I grabbed the axe kept next to me. However, he vanished into the jungle.” In shock after his encounter with the beast for the first time, Mangilal said, “I have been rearing cattle since the age of 8 years, but I came across such an experience for the first time. The attack had led to the shattering of the cattle. It was an ordeal to gather them back, for which I had to spend the whole night in jungle.” Not only did Mangilal rescue the cow, the 70-year-old sat next to the injured animal fearing another attack by the tiger. “I thought, the tiger would come back again in search for its prey, but it did not. I handed the injured cow to its owner in the morning,” he said. The injured cow belongs to Sarpanch of Mindora village, Suresh Singh Tomar. The Sarpanch said that the tiger has so far targeted seven cows of their village. Concerned over their cattle, Tomar has registered a complaint in Ratibad police station against forest department.