Nagpur: Acting swiftly on man-animal conflict incident that took place on Sunday evening in territorial forest area of Paoni range of Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), the Forest Department has identified the culprit tiger that killed a shepherd named Rajkumar Dashrath Khandate (40) near Khanora village in Ramtek Tehsil.
The killer tiger seems to be a new entrant, possibly a sub-adult male tiger PN189, one of the three cubs of tigress PN81, from the Madhya Pradesh side of PTR.
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“We have identified the tiger and we are now matching the stripes of the big cat with other tigers involved in killing of other persons in Ramtek taluka in last 7-8 months,” Dr Bharat Singh Hada, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Nagpur told local media The department is also matching the DNA of the tiger to get details about any involvement of the tiger in other man-animal conflict incidents.
Forest sources suggest that the attacking tiger may be a dispersing young male searching for its own territory. “The Forest Department is now trying to determine if this is the same male tiger that killed a 45-year-old cowherd named Dhanraj Maniram Naitam in Navegaon (Wadamba) in June. If the identity matches, the department plans to capture the tiger,” stated Bharat Singh Hada, the Deputy Conservator of Forest (DyCF) in Nagpur.
The identification of the problem tiger is a crucial step in managing human-wildlife conflict in the region. The forest department’s swift action in providing compensation to the victim’s family and their efforts to capture the tiger, if necessary, demonstrate their commitment to ensuring the safety of both humans and wildlife in the area. As the investigation continues, it is essential to monitor the movement of tigers in the corridor and take appropriate measures to minimize the risk of future attacks.
The victim Khandate was in his agriculture field for grazing his cattle near Gondi Fata lake when the tiger attacked him. After the attack, the shepherd died on the spot. After knowing about the incident, villagers rushed the spot and informed the forest department. Senior officials visited the spot and conducted panchanama. The Forest Department has handed over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to the victim’s family and will initiate the process to open a Rs 25 lakh Fixed Deposit also in the name of the family.
