Man mauled to death by tiger in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri; 2nd incident within fortnight

Lakhimpur Kheri (UP), Sep 11 (PTI) A 40-year-old man was killed by a tiger in the Maheshpur range of the South Kheri forest division in this Uttar Pradesh district on Wednesday, marking the second such fatality in the area within a fortnight.

Jakir, a resident of Muda Assi village, was attacked by the animal when he was working in his sugarcane field. The incident has sparked an outrage among local villagers, who are demanding immediate action to capture the big cat.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), South Kheri, Sanjay Biswal confirmed the second human casualty of tiger attacks in the Maheshpur range.

On August 27, another villager, Ambarish Kumar, was allegedly killed by the same tiger. Following these tragic events, state Forest Minister Arun Kumar visited the area to assess the situation and instruct the forest authorities to capture the tiger.

The forest department has deployed patrolling teams, installed cages and cameras, and brought in tranquillising experts to capture the elusive animal. However, heavy rains and waterlogging have hampered their efforts.

According to the DFO, four patrolling teams equipped with drone cameras and other equipment have been deployed, and four cages and 40 cameras installed in the affected areas to locate and monitor the tiger.

Tranquillising experts, led by Daksha Gangwar from the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, have been called in. A tranquillising expert from the Kanpur zoo has also been called in.

The DFO said the tiger’s movements were traced and its location determined a few days ago. However, heavy rains and the subsequent waterlogging hindered the operation.

The situation is tense in the area following the latest attack by the big cat and authorities are under increasing pressure to address the human-animal conflict.