Tiger kills man in forests near Bhopal, eats his body parts
A man was killed and partially consumed a tiger in the eastern range of Raisen forest division near Bhopal, said an official on Thursday. Representative Image: Big cat mauls man to death in Raisen forest division.(Unsplash) The incident took place near Neemkheda village, approximately 35 km from Bhopal city. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! According to Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Vijay Kumar, the body of Maniram Jatav (62) was discovered in the forest around 4 pm on Wednesday. He had gone out to collect tendu leaves, reported PTI. ALSO READ- Villagers in eye of the tiger, politicians miss the point The official said that the presence of canine marks on the neck indicated that the man was killed a tiger. Pugmarks of the tiger were also found near. “Canine marks on the neck suggested he was killed a tiger and not a leopard. The animal consumed parts of the man’s hips and thighs. Its pugmarks were also spotted near,” Kumar said. The DFO added that the tiger likely strayed from the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary, home to over 60 tigers. “This is for the first time in recent hory that a big cat has mauled a man to death in the forest of Raisen drict. The area where the body was found is not a protected area,” Kumar said. ALSO READ- Forest department plans to expand leopard facility at Junnar The deceased’s family were provided compensation of ₹8 lakh. The forest officials have also started patrolling in the region to locate the big cat and have issued warning to villagers against entering the forest. “We have ramped up patrolling in the region to track the big cat. Villagers have been asked not to venture into the forest,” he said. ALSO READ- 41-year-old labourer from Assam killed tiger in Kodagu drict In related news, a nine-year-old tiger responsible for the deaths of six people in Chandrapur drict, Maharashtra, over the past two months was successfully captured last month. After a two-month-long operation to capture the elusive big cat, the tiger was finally trapped in the Karva-Ballarpur forest area. According to a senior official, the tiger outsmarted forest officials with its sharp animal instincts but ultimately fell for the bait placed inside a cage. The tiger had claimed four lives in the Central Chanda division and two in the Chandrapur division during its two-month rampage.