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Body parts of missing farmer found in VTR, officials suspect tiger attack
This is the third such incident to occur in Harnatand and its adjoining Chiwtaha range in last few months
Body of a farmer, its parts apparently eaten by a wild animal, was recovered in Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in West Champaran district of Bihar on Friday, fuelling fears about a man-eater tiger on the prowl, forest officials said.
“The possibility of the farmer being killed by tiger cannot be ruled out. We have recovered some bones and search for other parts of the body is underway. The deceased has been identified as Dharmraj Kaji, a resident of Bairiya Kala village, on the basis of his slipper and clothes by his family members,” Dr Neshmani K, VTR’s wildlife conservator and field director, said on Saturday.
This is the third such incident to occur in Harnatand and its adjoining Chiwtaha range in last few months.
On May 14 this year, a minor boy, identified as Raj Kumar Baitha, was killed in an attack by a tiger in the forests Chiwtaha range of VTR.
Barely a few days later, a 45-year-old woman, Parvati Devi, was allegedly killed by a tiger in Chiwtaha forest range of VTR.
Harnatand’s range officer Ramesh Shrivastava said the latest victim, Dharmraj Kaji, went missing after he went work in his agriculture land on Thursday evening. “Prima facie, it appears that the farmer was killed by the tiger. Further investigations are underway,” said Shrivastava.
As per official records, wild animals have killed at least 23 people in past 10 years in VTR and wounded as many as 279.
