Bagaha (Bihar) : The elusive man-eater that has killed two persons in the last two days in the West Champaran district of Bihar taking the total number of victims to seven in the last two months has been ordered to be eliminated. The forest department has given a shoot-at-sight order to the man-eater of Bagahan Tiger Reserve in Bihar that has been giving sleepless nights not only to the forest department but to the villagers of several hamlets in and around the forest.
On Thursday night the tiger lifted 35-year-old Sanjay Mahato from the Harhiya Sareh area of Bagaha town in the district. Forest Department officials apprehend that the stealthy beast chose its target when went to his field on Thursday night. This is the second time in two days when the cannibal entered the locality and stole its prey.
On Wednesday night the the apex predatory entered the house of in Singhi village of the district and picked away a 12 year old girl from her room giving no chance to her relatives and villagers to resist. Her family members said that child was sleeping in her home that night when the tiger creeped in and dashed away with the child.
By the time her family members raised an alarm, the big cat had covered some distance with its prey and fled from the spot leaving the child who succumbed to her injuries. The deceased has been identified as Bagdi, daughter of Ramakant Manjhi.
The death of two people in two days has initiated a massive man-eater hunt across the jungle but so far this lethal feline seems to be on the upper-hand in the cat and mouse game with the forest department.
The man-eater which has strayed into human habitation near the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in the West Champaran district has been giving sleepless nights to Forest Department officials. Despite the efforts of 150 Forest Guards the bid to lure in the big cat into a trap using goats and bedfellows as baits has failed.
Also Read: Bihar: Elusive man eater tiger kills girl at a village close to Valmiki Reserve Forest
The Forest Department officials recently tried the time-tested method of setting up a cage equipped with a trap door and putting a goat inside to lure in the beast. But to their surprise, the cunning animal managed to flee with the bait without getting trapped. A couple of days after the Forest Department officials tried their luck with using a buffalo as bait but the tiger did not show up.
The main hurdle faced by the Forest Department officials in tracking down the stealthy predator is the fact that it keeps changing its location frequently. Recently, the tiger shifted from Bairiya Kalan village to another village in the Ramnagar Block. Then within a few days, it took refuge in a sugarcane field under the Chiutaha forest range of the VTR.
The speed and stealthy movement of the big cat can be gauged from the fact that sometimes it changes its location every two to three hours. "The tiger has turned man-eater and keeps on changing location after every two to three hours. We are facing some hurdles in catching the tiger because the wild animal has been shifting locations constantly. The elusive tiger is under constant surveillance. We are keeping a vigil on the beast's movement by the tiger's pug mark as well as CCTV camera footage," VTR director cum conservator of wildlife, Neshamani K said.
High-tech surveillance systems, certified shooters with modern rifles, and 150 experienced Forest Guards have so far been ineffective in catching the elusive tiger which is still on the prowl in the area, causing severe panic among the locals.
