Telangana: Killer tiger claims lives of 3 humans in three days

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: A tiger, which is apparently on a killing spree, has become cause for concern to the people living in Chandrapur district of neighboring Maharashtra. It mauled three persons to death and injured another in different parts of the district in the past three days, literally terrorizing dwellers of many remote and forest […]

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: A tiger, which is apparently on a killing spree, has become cause for concern to the people living in Chandrapur district of neighboring Maharashtra. It mauled three persons to death and injured another in different parts of the district in the past three days, literally terrorizing dwellers of many remote and forest fringe villages.

The big cat attacked Vilas (48), a farmer when he along with his wife and children was transplanting saplings of paddy in his agriculture field at Menda Bhagavanpur village in Nagbheed Taluq on Wednesday. It reportedly pounced on him and dragged him for some distance. His wife and children remained mute spectators when it killed the farmer.

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In yet another attack on Monday, the tiger killed Ramdas Naitham, a 63-year tribal shepherd when he was grazing cattle on the fringes of a forest in Sindevahi Taluq. It attacked and killed Mukharu Rauth (62) when he was working in his farm at Doodwahi village in Brahmapur Taluq on Tuesday. It wounded Prabhakar Madavi belonging to this Taluq on the same day.

On June 10, a tiger killed a shepherd Guddu Mohurle (32) who went out for grazing cattle in Padzari forests in Mul Range of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) of Chandrapur district. Three people have already been killed in this region from April to June. The district registered 19 deaths, caused by predator attacks, in this year as against 39 reported in 2021. Of them, 14 were killed by the national animal.

Locals demanded the authorities of the forest department to take steps to capture the killer tiger and prevent further human loss. They said that they were not venturing outdoors fearing attacks from the predator. They regretted that the territorial animal was targeting humans as it was addicted to suck their blood.

Chandrapur district forms the northern border of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district of Telangana. Tigers inhabiting the TATR often migrate to the wild of this district in search of territory and food. A tiger, titled A2, drifted into the forests of Telangana mauled two tribal youngsters to death in Kaghaznagar forest division in November of 2020.