Tiger kills herder near school in Chandrapur, human-wildlife toll hits thirty
A tiger killed a 68-year-old herder grazing cattle near a village school in Chandrapur district, taking the district's human-wildlife conflict toll to thirty.
ureshpur
A tiger attack killed a herder near a village school in Chandrapur district on Wednesday afternoon, taking the toll from human-wildlife conflict in the district to thirty.
The attack took place around 1:30 pm in Nilsani Pethgaon in Savli taluka. Vasudev Lakshman Wakudkar, 68, was grazing cattle near the village when a tiger attacked him. He died on the spot.
According to information received, Wakudkar was grazing cattle near a scrubby forest patch close to the village, as he did daily, when a tiger hiding in the bushes pounced on him. The attack was so sudden that he had no chance to escape and died at the scene. Villagers rushed to the spot on hearing of the attack, causing panic in the area.
The incident occurred in protected forest compartment number 1512. On being informed, Chandrapur assistant conservator of forests Vikas Tarse and Savli forest range officer Vinod Dhurve reached the spot with their team and inspected it.
Villagers said the tiger had been seen moving around the area for the past month, and that despite repeated complaints, no concrete action was taken, which they believe eventually led to the tiger killing an innocent person.
Adding to the concern is that the spot where the attack happened is very close to a Zilla Parishad primary school. The school's boundary wall is also in a damaged condition, causing worry among parents about the safety of children. Villagers have demanded that the tiger be dealt with at the earliest and that concrete steps be taken to secure the school and the village.
Fear has spread across the area following the incident, with villagers and others watching closely for the forest department's next steps.
