ADILABAD: A cowherd was injured when a tiger attacked him near the Vanjeri forest area in the Kagaznagar forest division in Kumurambheem-Asifabad district on Tuesday.
The tiger pounced on the cattle when they were crossing the road in the forest area. In a bid to protect his cattle, Ghulab, the cowherd, attacked the tiger with an axe and suffered an injury on his shoulder when the big cat struck him with its paw. Though injured, he ran to his village and informed the villagers about the tiger attack.
The tiger ran into the forest when the villagers came and raised a hue and cry. Ghulab was given first aid at a private hospital in Kagaznagar and sent home.The villagers alleged that the forest officials were not taking proper action though tiger attacks were on the rise in the area. The farmers in the surrounding villages are scared to go to fields for cotton picking because of tiger attacks in the area. Kagaznagar forest divisional officer B Venue confirmed the tiger attack on the cowherd. He said that forest staff asked villagers to be on alert and walk in groups while going to their fields.
He assured them that the government would pay compensation to Ghulab if he lost any of his cattle. It is also learnt that the tigers are migrating from Thadoba tiger reserve in Maharashtra to the Kagaznagar forest division in the district.In 2020, two persons were killed in tiger attacks in the Kagaznagar forest division but the forest department did not take any serious measures, the locals said.