55-Year-Old Mauled To Death By Tiger; Second Attack In 2 Months

KEY POINTS

The incident took place in the area surrounding Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in India
The 55-year-old had taken his cattle to graze in the area surrounding the park
Forest department have deployed officials to monitor the area and prevent more attacks

A 55-year-old man in India was attacked and killed by a tiger near a national park. The incident marks the second death at the tiger reserve in a span of two months.

The victim, identified as Namu Dhande, had taken his cattle to graze near a water dam in the area surrounding the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in the state of Maharashtra. While Dhande was looking after his cattle, a tiger attacked and mauled him. The incident came to light Thursday evening, NDTV reported.

Previously, a 23-year-old man was mauled to death by a tiger in the area surrounding TATR on Dec. 30. The victim and two others were returning from work when their bike broke down. While they waited for help, the trio heard a roar and ran in different directions. The tiger pounced on the victim, and mauled him, while the other two escaped safely, the Print reported.

The consecutive attacks have put the forest department on high alert. Officials said they were regularly patrolling the surrounding areas of the forest, known as buffer zones.

They have also introduced awareness programs to help villagers in the region prevent further attacks.

An official with the forest department in TATR said a tigress’s subadult cub, known as Sonam, has been regularly moving around the territory for the last two months. They plan to capture the tiger cub, for which the authorities have installed at least four cameras and traps in the area, the Print reported. However, it was not clear if Sonam was responsible for the attacks.

Dr. Jitendra Ramgaonkar, Chief Conservator of Forest of TATR, said they have deployed forest personnel in the area to monitor the cub’s movement, NDTV reported.

TATR is one of the oldest and largest national parks in India. The park is part of a conservation program that aims to reduce tiger habitat depletion and increase the animal's population.

Last year, a tigress attacked and mauled a 46-year-old forest ranger while she was surveying the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve on foot with a team. The team encountered the big cat and took a detour. But, the tigress followed them and attacked.