Woman killed in big cat attack in village near Kalagarh Tiger Reserve

Dehradun: A 55-year-old woman from Jamun village located near Kalagarh Tiger Reserve was mauled to death by a big cat on Saturday while collecting wood and grass in a forest near her home. The victim, Guddi Devi, was found in nearby bushes after a search was launched when she failed to return home, forest authorities said. "We received information about the incident around 6pm on Saturday. The postmortem report suggests a tiger attack, though it can only be confirmed once we install camera traps," said Rahul Mishra, divisional forest officer (DFO), Kalagarh Tiger Reserve. He added that an initial compensation of Rs 2 lakh has been given to Devi's family. The body was found with a bundle of grass next to it, suggesting an accidental encounter. "She might have bent down to cut grass when the wild animal attacked," Mishra added. He said patrolling has been increased as a precaution and villagers have been advised not to enter the forest. Local residents have raised concerns over recurring incidents of human-wildlife conflict. "It seems wildlife is valued more than villagers here; otherwise, the department would have taken stronger steps to prevent such incidents," said Devendra Rawat who resides in a nearby area. Sightings of big cats—both leopards and tigers—around Kalagarh Tiger Reserve have increased in the recent past due to multiple factors, including anthropogenic pressure due to urbanisation close to the forests and fragmentation of wildlife corridors. Forest officials also attribute it to the rising population of wild animals.