Farmer killed in alleged tiger attack in Uttarakhand district: Forest official

An official said there is no clear history of tiger movement in this area but prima facie, it seems that sub-adult tigers have ventured out into this territory for the first time

An elderly farmer was killed in an alleged tiger attack in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district, forest officials said.

Fearing more attacks, the villagers have asked the forest department to lay down traps. (Shutterstock file image)

The forest department team had rushed to the spot after they were informed by the villagers and found the body of the deceased who was aged 73.

Swapnil Aniruddha, divisional forest officer Pauri said, “The attack took place on the higher side of the Pauri district on Thursday evening but close to the area is Corbett Tiger Reserve.”

“I have handed over the interim relief amount which comes to 30%of the total out of ₹4 lakh according to the government relief guidelines to the family members of the deceased and a team from the forest department is perusing through the camera traps to locate the tiger involved in the incident”, said Anirudha.

He said there is no clear history of tiger movement in this area but prima facie, it seems that sub-adult tigers have ventured out into this territory for the first time.

When asked if the reason behind such movement of tigers to newer areas could be due to the rise in the number of the big cat in the tiger reserve area, he said that he won’t be able to comment at this juncture adding that the possibility cannot be ruled out.

Meanwhile, fearing more attacks, the villagers have asked the forest department to lay down traps.

Khushendar Singh, Gram Pradhan Dalla said, “The villagers are terrified after the attack and fear that if the tiger is not caught, it could attack others working in the fields”.