Pilibhit (UP), Jul 15 (PTI) A day after a farmer was killed by a tiger in Fulhar village of Pilibhit district, forest officials said on Tuesday that their team was tracking the animal and it would be captured as soon as the conditions are favourable.
Dayaram, 39, was mauled to death by the tiger in his field in Bari Phulhar village, the sixth tiger attack in two months in the region.
According to the forest team engaged in tracking the tiger, the animal also attempted to attack its personnel, though fortunately no serious injuries occurred.
The tiger was last spotted near Auraiya village, located alongside the Pilibhit-Tanakpur highway under Neuria police station area, the officials said.
Divisional Forest Officer (Social Forestry), Bharat Kumar, said a trained team has been deployed at the spot following official approval for the tiger’s capture.
“As soon as conditions are favourable, the tiger will be rescued and shifted to a safe location,” he added.
To monitor the tiger and ensure public safety, police teams from two stations and personnel from the reserve police lines have also been deployed in the village.
The forest department has appealed to locals to remain alert while its teams keep a close watch on the tiger’s movements.
Meanwhile, locals expressed concern over the forest department’s handling of the situation. “The tiger is moving dangerously close to human settlements along the highway,” said Suresh Yadav, a villager.
“While the forest department carries out monitoring during the day, it appears unprepared at night, when the tiger is most active. Villagers are living in fear and spending sleepless nights,” he said.
On Monday, villagers said that they had told forest and police personnel about regular tiger sightings in the region and multiple complaints had been filed with the forest department, but to no avail.
Forest officials maintain that all necessary measures are being taken.
On May 14, a tiger killed a farmer named Hansraj while he was irrigating his field in Nazirganj village. Four days later, Ram Prasad was fatally attacked while peeling sugarcane in Chatipur. On May 25, a woman named Laungshree was killed while she was weeding a field in Khirkia Bargadia village.
On June 3, Reshma was dragged from her house in Shantinagar village of Hazara and killed. On June 9, a farmer from Mewatpur was also killed in a tiger attack, according to official data.
People in Pilibhit have been facing the issue of man-animal conflict. They routinely encounter big cats that stray into their farms from the adjoining Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR), a bustling habitat for the Bengal Tiger.
Experts believe that the tiger population in the PTR, established in 2014, has doubled over the years. This increase has forced them to seek new territories, leading to a rise in man-animal conflicts. PTI COR ABN RT
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