Violence erupted in and around the Satkosia Tiger Reserve for the second consecutive day on Thursday over the killing of a woman by tigress "Sundari" at Hatibari on Tuesday. The administration has failed to negotiate with the agitating people.
The tigress killed Kailasi Sai when she was taking bath in a rivulet.
The aggrieved people blocked the road to the tiger reserve at Pampasar keeping the dead body on the road. The people burnt the local forest beat house and set fire to the department vehicles.
Reaching the spot, the Angul SP and Sub-Collector tried to negotiate with the people, but in vain.
People demanded that the inter-State trans-located tigress which became violent due to habitation problems must be immediately returned back to Madhya Pradesh.
The 27-month-old tigress, since its relocation from Bandhavgarh in June, is not comfortable in the Satkosia forest and attacked a human being. Most importantly, it has not created its own territory yet.
While tiger conservation is a environmental priority subject, forest officials including have trans-located the tigers without taking people into confidence. They closed their eyes on the security of the forest dwellers.
The tigress is living in the peripheral forests near Hatibari and frequenting populated areas.
As a result, there is a sense of trepidation among locals. The Forest Department has misled about the presence of natural population inside the Satkosia Tiger Reserve.
"Now, the tiger-human conflict and the subsequent massive violence by locals created by "Team Routray" has endangered both the vast natural population and wild life including tigers in the Satkosia reserve," said Environmentalist and advocate CR Sahu.