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Four women killed in tiger attack while collecting tendu leaves in Chandrapur
Forest officials said that the women had entered the forest early in the morning along with a larger group to collect tendu leaves, a seasonal forest produce that serves as a major source of income for several families in the region during summer
Four women were mauled to death by a tigress in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district early on Friday, taking the toll of human-wildlife conflicts in the district to 18 since January, forest officials said.
The incident occurred between 6 am and 7 am in the forest area near Gunjewahi village under the Sindewahi forest range in the Bramhapuri forest division, according to preliminary information shared by the forest department.
The deceased women, all residents of Gunjewahi, were identified as Kawadabai Dadaji Mohurle, 45; Anitabai Dadaji Mohurle, 40; Sunita Kaushik Mohurle, 38; and Sangita Santosh Chaudhary, 50. Forest officials said that the women had entered the forest early in the morning along with a larger group to collect tendu leaves, a seasonal forest produce that serves as a major source of income for several families in the region during summer. Around seven women from the village were reportedly part of the group.
The women had reportedly ventured deep into the forest when the tiger attacked. When only three women returned to the main road after collecting the leaves, they went back into the forest to search for the four missing women only to discover their bodies.
Forest officials suspect that the tiger had been hiding in the dense vegetation before pouncing on the women. While the four women were killed on the spot, the others managed to escape after raising an alarm and running for safety.
Forest department and local police teams reached the site soon after the incident was reported. A panchnama was carried out and efforts to trace the tiger were intensified through camera surveillance and patrolling.
R M Ramanujam, chief conservator of forests, Chandrapur, said that the department immediately deployed teams to the area after receiving information about the attack.
“The unfortunate incident took place in the morning and our teams rushed to the location. Three live cameras have been installed in the area where the incident occurred and around 30 trap cameras are being used to monitor the tiger’s movement. Efforts are underway to capture the animal,” Ramanujam said.
He added that ₹25,000 has been provided to each victim’s family as immediate assistance and that partial compensation will be disbursed within 24 hours.
The incident has triggered panic and anger in Gunjewahi and nearby villages, with residents accusing the forest department of failing to prevent repeated tiger movement near human settlements and forest routes frequented by villagers.
Senior forest officials said that the villagers had been cautioned earlier about the movement of a tigress and her four cubs in the nearby forest area. Authorities had advised locals against venturing deep into the forest during the tendu collection season. However, officials said that the department is yet to conclusively confirm whether or not the attack involved the tigress or any of her cubs.
The tragedy has once again highlighted the growing human-animal conflict in Chandrapur district, which houses the larger Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserve and has witnessed increasing tiger movement outside protected forest areas over the last few years. Tigers are frequently sighted near villages in the district, raising concerns among residents whose livelihoods depend heavily on forests and farmlands located close to wildlife habitats. Wildlife experts said that the incident underlines the urgent need for stronger conflict mitigation measures in forest-fringe villages, particularly during the tendu leaf collection season when thousands of villagers enter forests daily for work.
