The most unplanned and ill-designed first inter-State translocation of a tiger and a tigress to the Satkosia Tiger Reserve suffered a severe jolt on Wednesday with the killing of a woman by the tigress "Sundari" at Hatibari in Angul district.
The tigress killed Kailasi Sai, when she was taking bath in a rivulet. The situation became tense after the incident and irate people burnt the local forest beat house. They also set fire to a vehicle of the Purunakote Ranger.
Since the translocation of the tiger and tigress, the forest people have been opposing it as the authorities have not put up any security cover for the local people. Even at a demonstration in front of the Collectorate, they had threatened to kill the tiger if it attacked. But before that, the tigress killed the innocent woman at Hatibari due to the utter negligence of the State Forest Minister Bijayashree Routray, the Forest Secretary, the RCCF , the Wildlife DFO and there henchmen NGO activists , who have undermined the security aspects of the forest people by providing false and misleading information to the public, it is alleged.
The 27-month-old tigress, called Sundri (T-412), since its relocation from Bandhavgarh last June, is not comfortable in the Satkosia forest, and has been moving the whole forest without creating its own territory.
It is further alleged that without proper assessment and scientific study, the wild life officials allowed the free movement of the tigress.
Meanwhile, the Citizens Action Forum here demanded stern action against the Environment and Forest Secretary.
It may be noted here that the incident happened here when just before one day the Supreme Court uphold the order of a lower court to shoot-at-sight orders for a ‘man-eater’ tigress in Pandharkawda forest in the Ralegaon of Yavatmal district in Maharashtra.