Corbett tiger reserve authorities have said that a tiger had killed the woman from Kalagarh dam colony on Tuesday, but stressed that this should not be linked to the tigress which had killed six persons in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
The Corbett warden SC Upadhyay informed The Pioneer that a tiger had killed the woman in Kalagarh, but this should not be linked to the big cat which had killed six persons in UP. “The death in Kalagarh was accidental as the probability of chance encounters between humans and wildlife increase in the winters. Our staff is on alert and monitoring the situation,” he added.
It will be recalled that about 90 forest staff have been deployed in various areas and authorised to tranquilise the big cat which had killed people in UP. This tigress is believed to have entered Corbett recently and though officials state that the woman in Kalagarh was not killed by a man-eater, fear has spread in the public living in areas close to areas frequented by tigers.
It remains to be seen whether the department succeeds in tracking down the man-eater tigress. The man-eater and the tiger which killed the woman in Kalagarh are yet to be identified and pug marks along with information from villagers and field staff are the main basis for the deductions being made by the department.