Tiger kills woman in Bandhavgarh

Bhopal: A 28-year-old woman was killed in a tiger attack while collecting tendu leaves inside the core area of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Umaria district on Saturday morning, forest officials said.

The incident took place around 7.45 am in Sehra Haar area of Kudri beat under the Panpatha core range of the reserve. The deceased was identified as Mamta Yadav, wife of Pappu Yadav and a resident of Kudri village. Officials said she entered the forest for tendu leaf collection when the tiger attacked her.

Forest officials, police personnel and local administration reached the spot after receiving information about the incident. The body was sent for post-mortem examination under medical supervision and the last rites were later conducted in the presence of family members on Saturday.

Following the incident, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve authorities issued fresh advisories for tendu leaf collectors, urging them not to venture into forests during early morning hours or in darkness. Officials also advised villagers to move in groups instead of entering forest areas alone.

Authorities said repeated awareness campaigns are being conducted to prevent villagers and tendu leaf collectors from entering core and tiger-dominated areas of the reserve.

Forest officials appealed to residents to exercise caution and avoid entering protected core zones for tendu leaf collection, warning that such movement could prove dangerous due to the high presence of big cats in the area.