Tiger attacks farmer in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore reserve
The 25-year-old farmer has received injuries on his eyes, back and neck.
A 25-year-old farmer was on Sunday attacked by a tiger in the Khandar area of the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, a top forest official said.
The victim, identified as Ramkesh Gujjar, a resident of Ganesh Nagar village on the periphery of the reserve, had taken his goats for grazing in the forest when he was mauled by the tiger, said Ranthambore field director YK Sahu.
“He received injuries on his eyes, back and neck, and has been referred to the SMS hospital in Jaipur,” he said.
Earlier too incidents of man-animal conflicts have been reported from the Khandar area of the reserve. In May 2015, a 35-year-old man was attacked by a tiger in the buffer area of Khandar. He received a head injury but later recovered.
Similarly in November 2017, a tiger entered the fields in Talwada village in Khandar and attacked Gori Shankar, a farmer.
Expert said such man-animal conflicts would increase in the future due to the increase in the number of big cat population in the reserve.
The tiger population in the reserve has increased to 70, the highest in the in reserve’s history, some of them said.
During drought, when there is lack of water or fodder, villagers enter the forest in search of fodder for the cattle which increase the chances of man-animal conflicts, they said.
The state forest department will soon relocate tigers to the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve from Ranthambore in what will be the country’s first relocation of big cats to decongest a wildlife habitat.