PATNA: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has ordered the NTCA forest authorities to shoot a man-eater tiger that has reportedly killed seven people in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) forest division in Bagaha of West Champaran district.
The man-eater remains elusive even as 400 forest personnel are on its trail, officials said. On Thursday night, the tiger got its latest victim — a 35-year-old man. The resident of Dumari village was attacked
by the animal when he had gone to the field. He was the seventh victim of the tiger attack. After his death, irate villagers damaged a vehicle of the forest department.
Bihar chief wildlife warden Prabhat said an order has been issued to shoot the man-eating big cat. Earlier, a 12-year-old girl, Bagdi Kumari, was fast asleep in her cot when a tiger killed her at Singahi village in VTR’s Raghia range past midnight on Thursday.
When the girl started screaming after the tiger held her in its jaw, her family members woke up but could not do anything as the animal carried her away. The girl’s body was recovered from a sugarcane field
after the local people started chasing it.
This was the eighth tiger attack in which seven people have died in nine months, a senior forest officer said. VTR director-cum-conservator of wildlife Dr Neshamani said the authorities are ascertaining if the same tiger has been behind all attacks.
For over 26 days, the authorities have been trying to cage a tiger that has strayed out of the VTR area. The rescue team is facing serious problems as the tiger keeps changing its location.Shooters have joined around 400 forest personnel in locating the tiger. “Rain is also disturbing our operation. The tall sugarcane crop has made the task for forest personnel even more difficult,” said a forest official.