Forest staffer attacked by tigress in Bandhavgarh reserve during patrol

Bhopal, April 28 (IANS) After attacking two residents of Kushmaha village, a tigress from Madhya Pradesh's Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve has yet again struck a human, targeting a member of the forest patrol staff, officials said on Monday.

The incident occurred on Sunday during a routine foot patrol within the precincts of the Panpatha beat in Pataur range of the reserve, situated in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district.

Concealed within the dense thickets, the tigress sprang forth with ferocity, inflicting injuries upon Ramsuhavan Chaudhary, whose back, forearm, and head bore the brunt of the injuries.

The injured forest worker was promptly taken to the District Hospital in Umaria for medical attention.

Civil surgeon Dr K.L. Soni informed IANS that Chaudhary sustained injuries to his forearm and head. Though the wounds were not life-threatening, they required stitches, which have been done. The patient’s relatives eventually transferred him to a hospital in Jabalpur for further treatment and their satisfaction.

Park officials have confirmed that the tigress, believed to be the same one responsible for the earlier attack in Kushmaha village, is now under close observation. Using elephants, the management is ensuring the tigress’s movements are tracked to prevent additional incidents.

Field director Anupam Sahay told IANS that steps are being considered to relocate the animal to a different area to mitigate the risk it poses.

Enraged over the past two incidents, villagers had staged a blockade at the Panpatha barrier, demanding that the tigress be permanently moved out of the region. While reserve authorities had previously driven the tigress away using elephants, the villagers are insistent on a permanent solution.

In response to the escalating threat, forest management sought approval from senior wildlife officials to relocate the tigress. To avoid capturing any other tiger by mistake, the tigress was carefully tracked for several days. However, the relocation plan was interrupted by the recent attack, reigniting fear and tension across the area. Following this incident, patrolling in the affected zone has been temporarily suspended, the park sources said. The reserve authorities have opted to rely on elephant-based monitoring until the situation stabilises.

--IANS

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