Tigress causing human casualties in UP’s Dudhwa buffer zone caught

A tigress, said to be one of the two big cats roaming in Manjhra Purab area in Dudhwa buffer causing human casualties, was captured in Manjhra-Khairatia village, a forest department official said here on Tuesday.

Sub-divisional officer (SDO), Katarniaghat, Amit Kumar told PTI, ''Late on Monday night, a big cat was captured in the cage set up by the forest department, where a bait had been kept.” The captured big cat was brought to Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Kumar said, adding that further action would be taken as per directives of the authorities.

In a span of 10 days since June 18, four casualties were caused in Khairatia area close to Manjhra Purab forests. A 52-year-old local priest, Suraj Singh, 14, Nagendra Singh, 33, and Mindo Kaur, 43, were killed by the tigress. The forest officials, as well the local people, were shocked by the sudden spurt in fatalities.

''A report was sent to UP Chief Wildlife Warden, who granted permission to tranquilize the big cat in view of the threat to human lives,'' Sanjay Kumar Pathak, Dudhwa Field director said.

He said that through intensive combing, patrolling, drone and camera surveillance, movement of two tigresses, found to be mother and daughter, was established in the area.

The man-animal conflict in the area, spread over half dozen villages close to Dudhwa and Katarniaghat, has triggered a deep resentment among the locals against the officials.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)