Efforts Intensify To Catch Tiger Which Killed 2 Men In Uttarakhand

With people still in fear after constant tiger sightings, the Forest Department here on Tuesday intensified efforts to trap the animal which killed two elderly men in Uttarakhand's Pauri district last week.

Twenty camera traps have been installed in the area and three cages put up in Dalla and Simli villages which reported the two casualties, one each on April 13 and April 15, Garhwal DFO Swapnil Aniruddh told PTI.

There is a continuous sighting of tigers near Dalla village but none in Simli village, he said. "Our priority is to trap and cage the tiger as of now." Villagers have sighted movement of three tigers in the area, Dalla village chief Khushendra Singh Negi said.

With tigers still on the prowl near the village, residents of Dalla and adjoining villages in Pauri are living under constant fear especially after sunset when usually there is no electricity.

Power outages in the village last for days and residents have to make do with lamps and torches.

"The district administration has installed 10 solar lights in the village but sometimes it is not enough. We avoid going out unless very necessary," said Darshan Singh Rawat, a villager.

The nearest market is in Gariyopul from where the villagers buy grains, vegetables and other essentials. However, due to the fear of the tigers, they haven't been able to go there, he said.

Authorities should do something about delivering these daily-need items at people's doorsteps till the danger persists in the area, Rawat said.

The wheat crop is ready for harvest but the farmers are afraid of going to their fields, he said.

Birendra Singh (72) was mauled to death by a tiger in the Dalla village, 25 km from Simli, when he had gone to harvest the wheat crop in his field on April 13.

The half-eaten body of Ranveer Singh Negi (75) was recovered by locals in Simli village on Sunday, a day after his relatives from Dehradun reported that he was not responding to their telephone calls.

A night curfew, which was imposed on Monday, continues in 25 villages, DFO Aniruddh said.

Meanwhile, the closure of schools and Anganwadi centres in the area has been extended till April 21 by the district administration.

"Being aware of the fact that the tigers are still roaming around does not let us sleep peacefully. We have decided not to send our children to school until the tigers are caged," said another villager Sunita Devi.

Two veterinarian and tranquilising teams, one each from Dehradun and Haridwar, have also arrived in the area.

People have been asked not to venture out after sunset. They have also been advised to go out in groups if very necessary, DFO Aniruddh said.

Ordinary wildlife warden Corbett Tiger Reserve Dinesh Singh Mangla said the entire forest department is working day and night to secure the villagers of the area.

DFO Kalagarh Tiger Reserve Niraj Kumar Sharma said samples of the wounds of both assault victims have been taken and sent to the Centre for Microbiology, Bengaluru for testing to verify if they were killed by the same tiger or two different ones. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)