KATHMANDU, Nov 4: Authorities, with support from local residents, have launched a search operation to track down a tiger believed to have killed a man in the buffer zone of Banke National Park.
Forty-year-old Indra Bahadur Khatri of Gurubagaun, Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality-9, was found dead in a decomposed state in the Rimna Community Forest on October 21. He had gone to collect grass when the fatal attack occurred, according to Ward Chairman Sohan Lal Tharu.
“The incident has spread fear among locals, as wild animals such as tigers and leopards have been coming out of the park and attacking people who go to the forest to gather firewood or grass,” Tharu said.
Human-Tiger Coexistence Amidst Rising Tiger Population
Despite continued efforts to identify the animal responsible, officials have yet to locate it. Nine camera traps have been installed within a one-kilometer radius of the incident site, but no wild animals have been captured on film, said Mandeep Pangeni, Information Officer at Banke National Park.
“To ensure local safety, we are using both technology and manpower to control the tiger,” Pangeni said. “Teams from the park, the Nepal Army, and three elephants have been mobilized to track the animal.”
Frequent tiger and leopard attacks have heightened fear among residents of the buffer zone. Chief Senior Conservation Officer Birendra Prasad Kandel urged locals not to enter forest areas alone and to avoid the woods in the evening.
Kandel said the park has been implementing programs to minimize human-wildlife conflict and that relief and compensation will be provided to victims’ families as per the law. Discussions have also been held with local governments and stakeholders to adopt preventive measures and reduce future risks.
According to the 2022 national tiger census, Banke National Park is home to 25 tigers, while Nepal’s total tiger population stands at 355. The government has announced plans to conduct another tiger census this year.
With inputs from RSS
