Tiger kills three cattle herders in a month in Chandrapur's Sawali taluka

A tiger has been terrorising residents of Samda Buzurg, Kerodha, Vyahad Buzurg, Nilasni Petgaon and Sonapur areas in Sawali taluka of Chandrapur district for the past two to three months. The animal has repeatedly attacked people, raising concerns over the safety of farmers and cattle herders in the area. In the past month alone, the same tiger has killed three herders and left a farmer seriously injured. The tiger responsible for the attacks is still on the loose, fuelling anger among locals over the forest department's handling of the situation.

On August 1, the tiger attacked and killed herder Hiraman Sakhare, a resident of Samda. On August 26, it attacked Namdeo Kukde, a resident of Kerodha, who was injured. On September 12, the tiger attacked and killed the bullock of farmer Ashok Thakre, a resident of Vyahad Buzurg. On September 16, it attacked and killed Vasudev Wakudkar, a resident of Nilasni. Fear in the area deepened further after the tiger attacked and killed young herder Hemant Ashok Bhurse, a resident of Samda Buzurg, on Monday evening.

The repeated attacks have made safety a serious concern for residents of Sawali taluka, most of whom depend on livestock rearing. Farmers and herders have to take their cattle to graze in areas bordering the forest, but the tiger's growing presence and the string of attacks have made this dangerous. With three herders now killed, villagers say grazing their cattle has become a serious problem, and they are demanding that the forest department take firm and effective steps to capture the tiger immediately.

Social worker Bhaurao Kothare from Kapsi said that along with bringing the tiger under control, the forest department must urgently provide a safe place for cattle grazing. He demanded that the department take immediate concrete action to save lives and capture the man-eating tiger as soon as possible.

Rajan Talmale, deputy conservator of forests in Chandrapur, confirmed that the same tiger, which moves around the Samda Buzurg area, was responsible for all three deaths. He said a proposal to capture the tiger has been prepared and it will be caught as soon as the proposal is approved. He said a forest department team is tracking the tiger in the forest area, and appealed to farmers and herders to take proper precautions and follow the department's instructions while entering forest areas.