PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Ramnagar
An unidentified youth is believed to have been dragged into the forest and killed by a tiger in the Ramnagar area. The partially consumed body of the victim was found in the jungle on Sunday. This is the third human death in an attack by a big cat in this region within a fortnight.
According to sources, the possibility of the incident first came to light on Saturday evening when blood-stained clothes were found scattered in the forest near the Ramnagar–Haldwani road. Following the information, a Forest department team reached the spot and carried out an extensive combing operation late into the night in the forest area but could not find any trace of the victim. Sub divisional officer Ankit Badola and ranger Shekhar Tiwari along with dozens of forest personnel resumed the search on Sunday morning. They followed the tiger’s pug marks and shot rounds in the air along with bursting firecrackers to drive any tiger away. The departmental team finally found what remained of the victim’s body at a spot in the jungle about two kilometres away from the main road.
Badola stated that the tiger had consumed a major portion of the body with only the head and some skeletal remains being found at the site. DNA samples are being sent for examination to establish the identity of the deceased, while efforts are also underway to identify him in nearby areas. The Forest department has appealed to people not to enter the reserved forest areas.
It will be recalled that earlier on January 2, Sukhiya Devi had gone to collect firewood in the forest in Dhela village of the Corbett area when she was killed in a tiger attack. Subsequently, on January 4, a labourer was killed by a tigress in Bhalon village of the Ramnagar forest division. The latest incident coming to light on Sunday has further heightened concern among both forest officials and local residents.
In view of the repeated attacks, the Forest department has been put on high alert, while an atmosphere of fear prevails among villagers in the surrounding areas.
