LUCKNOW: A forest warden on Thursday shot to death a man-eater that had created terror in and around Kumaon's Corbett Reserve , stalking and killing at least six people in the last three months. The animal had killed and eaten his latest victim — a 27-year-old man — earlier in the day.
Forest officials launched an extensive combing operation to trace the nine-year-old man-eater after mutilated remains of the man identified as Puran Chand were found and the 10-feet-long big cat was finally felled around 2.30pm.
Initially, there was confusion whether it was the same man-eater which had stalked victims around the park for three months. But Uttarakhand forest officials confirmed on Thursday evening that the tiger shot by them was indeed the killer of villagers in and around Corbett since November. "We cannot say that man-eating has ended in Corbett forever but the perpetrator of recent incidents has been killed for sure," said S Chandola, Uttarakhand's chief wildlife warden.
The park's tiger count was 164 before this killing and wardens said that tigers often strayed out of core areas to the inhabited periphery after fights over territory or old age that affected their hunting abilities.
The big cat had been shot at on January 11 by forest officers when it was eating one of its victims. "I had predicted that the wound would be on its shoulder," said Chandola. The same wound, he said, was found on the carcass.
On Thursday, the tiger was shot several times in neck and thighs. "But I have found the old wound as well though it had healed," he said.
Earlier in the day, villagers went on a rampage and blocked the highway after the mutilated remains of Puran Chand were recovered from Sunderkhal area in Ramnagar forest division. Puran, the son of Bhopal Ram, a resident of Maldhan village in Ramnagar, went missing on Wednesday. According to a forest officer, he had left his motorcycle on the edge of the forest and walked in around 1pm, as local people do to cross the forest on foot to reach human settlements on the other side.
When Puran wasn't be traced until 7pm, locals went to Ramnagar officers and sought a search of the area. His motorcycle was found parked and villagers surrounded the area that probably prevented the tiger from moving out. On Thursday morning, the man's legs were recovered from Sunderkhal forest area. The tiger had eaten the rest of the body.
As angry protests erupted, forest officers called in the police to control the mob which had blocked Ranikhet-Ramnagar highway. "We also called in three elephants for the combing," said Ramnagar DFO Ravindra Juyal.
ET
Forest officials launched an extensive combing operation to trace the nine-year-old man-eater after mutilated remains of the man identified as Puran Chand were found and the 10-feet-long big cat was finally felled around 2.30pm.
Initially, there was confusion whether it was the same man-eater which had stalked victims around the park for three months. But Uttarakhand forest officials confirmed on Thursday evening that the tiger shot by them was indeed the killer of villagers in and around Corbett since November. "We cannot say that man-eating has ended in Corbett forever but the perpetrator of recent incidents has been killed for sure," said S Chandola, Uttarakhand's chief wildlife warden.
The park's tiger count was 164 before this killing and wardens said that tigers often strayed out of core areas to the inhabited periphery after fights over territory or old age that affected their hunting abilities.
The big cat had been shot at on January 11 by forest officers when it was eating one of its victims. "I had predicted that the wound would be on its shoulder," said Chandola. The same wound, he said, was found on the carcass.
On Thursday, the tiger was shot several times in neck and thighs. "But I have found the old wound as well though it had healed," he said.
Earlier in the day, villagers went on a rampage and blocked the highway after the mutilated remains of Puran Chand were recovered from Sunderkhal area in Ramnagar forest division. Puran, the son of Bhopal Ram, a resident of Maldhan village in Ramnagar, went missing on Wednesday. According to a forest officer, he had left his motorcycle on the edge of the forest and walked in around 1pm, as local people do to cross the forest on foot to reach human settlements on the other side.
When Puran wasn't be traced until 7pm, locals went to Ramnagar officers and sought a search of the area. His motorcycle was found parked and villagers surrounded the area that probably prevented the tiger from moving out. On Thursday morning, the man's legs were recovered from Sunderkhal forest area. The tiger had eaten the rest of the body.
As angry protests erupted, forest officers called in the police to control the mob which had blocked Ranikhet-Ramnagar highway. "We also called in three elephants for the combing," said Ramnagar DFO Ravindra Juyal.
ET
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