RANJHA, June 25: Human-wildlife conflict has continued unabated in Banke and Bardiya districts, resulting in 29 human casualties and several incidents of injuries in the past five years.
The latest victim of wild animal attack is Kaushila Pal, a local of Madhuban Municipality-2. She was killed in a Royal Bengal tiger attack. Similarly, Ashmita Tharu, 41, of Chhotki Sonaha of Madhuban Municipality-2 in Bardiya district was injured when a leopard attacked her on June 6.
Following repeated attacks of wild animals, locals in Bardiya district took to the streets demanding security. This protest resulted in a police firing in which a protestor was killed and another injured.
Lately, human-wildlife conflict in the district has increased, said Chairperson of local Khata Community Forest Coordination Committee Hari Gurung.
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In the past five years, a total of 23 people were killed in wild animal attacks in Bardiya and six others in Banke district.
Incidents of wildlife attack have increased with the increment in the number of tigers at Banke National Park and Bardiya National Park (BNP), according to Bishnu Prasad Shrestha, Chief Conservation Officer at BNP.
Incidents of human encroachment into forest areas and construction of physical infrastructures have also continued at a rapid pace, he added.
But measures have been taken to decrease conflict between human and wildlife and maintain their coexistence. National parks have for the first time launched a five-year strategic plan in this regard, said Shrestha.
On the other hand, local people of Madhuban Municipality have been demanding security, translocation of tigers from Khata community forest and barbed wire fencing to protect them from possible attack of wild animals.
Following the rise in the wildlife attacks on humans, authorities recently captured six tigers from Bardiya and one from Banke. The wild beasts were later translocated elsewhere.
(RSS)
