Tigress that killed 2 villagers captured in Kheri

Pilibhit: An adult tigress that killed two villagers near the Majhgai forest range in the buffer zone of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve was captured early Tuesday in the Sharda river area near Ramnagar village in Kheri district, around 3 km from the nearest forest patch.Forest range officer Ankit Singh said the tigress was lured using a young female horse tied to a tree.

After killing the animal and beginning to feed on it, the tigress was tranquilised by DTR veterinary officer Dr Daya Shankar around 5.20 am.Singh said three forest teams had been tracking the tigress through pugmarks since June 14, when 60-year-old farmer Ramdeen was killed in Ramnagar village, about 6 km from the Khaira forest patch, while applying fertiliser to his sugarcane field.

The following day, 50-year-old Kokila Devi was killed in a tiger attack in Khalepurva village, around 8 km from the same forest area.North Kheri divisional forest officer Kirti Chaudhary said the involvement of the rescued tigress in both the fatal conflicts was ascertained by the matching of her pugmarks with those found at the two sites. “The close distance of about 2.5 km between the two villages was also an important factor,” she said.The tigress was shifted to the forest range headquarters for a medical examination.

Following the protocol, the forest staff sprayed water on the tigress at frequent intervals to minimise her stress level and provide relief from the hot weather, said H Rahamohan, the field director of DT.He added the tigress was found healthy and had no visible injuries or deformities.

Anuradha Vemuri, the chief wildlife warden of UP, has decided to move the tigress to a zoo in either Lucknow or Gorakhpur instead of being sent back to the forest.Stay updated with the latest Bareilly news.

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