30yo man killed in suspected tiger attack in Bhimtal; second fatal attack in 3 days

Nainital: The body of 30-year-old Kamal Bisht, suspected to have been killed by a tiger, was found in Bhadyuni village of Bhimtal block on Friday morning. He had gone to attend a wedding on Thursday night but did not return. His mutilated body was recovered around 500 metres from his home.The incident follows another fatal attack three days earlier in the same locality, where a woman was killed and her body was found nearly 2 km inside a forest. This is the third such incident reported in the past month.Officials said identifying the animals involved in the attacks that took place in late 2025 and the early months of the present year was difficult, as samples collected in recent cases were inconclusive. Scat analysis has also proved unreliable due to overlapping tiger and leopard habitats.Earlier this month, Hansi Devi was killed in Surya village on April 4, after which a tiger was captured on April 7. Another attack was reported on April 22, followed by the latest incident. Villagers suspect a tiger is responsible.Data from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) shows a sharp rise in the tiger population in the region, with numbers in the Ramnagar forest division increasing from 67 in 2022 to 93 in 2026—an increase of nearly 40%.Villagers said they are forced to enter forests daily for fodder. “We have no option but to go into the forest,” a resident said, demanding that the animal be declared a man-eater, along with compensation and a job for a victim’s family member.Village head Vipin Palariya said, “We need solar lights and fencing to protect residents.”Bhimtal block head Harish Singh Bisht said warnings about tiger sightings were ignored: “Concerns were raised, but dismissed.”DM Lalit Mohan Rayal, who also serves as chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority, has ordered the temporary closure of schools and Anganwadi centers across several villages in the Bhimtal block following alarming reports of human-wildlife conflict and the presence of a suspected man-eating animal.DFO Dhruv Martolia said surveillance and capture measures are in place. He said the allegations made by the village head were baseless and that he had sent a patrolling team on Thursday evening, adding that the victim’s body has been sent for post-mortem and the exact cause of death will be clear after the report is received.According to the information, repeated incidents of wildlife encounters have been recorded in villages such as Jeoli and Bhadyuni, with growing concerns about the animal’s movement in nearby areas including Dogra, Dolmar, Suryajala, Mora, Jyolikot, Suryagaon, Ganja, Ranibagh, Do Gaon, Alukhet, Balyuti, Haidi, Songoth, Kathgodam, Bel, and Naisela.Authorities highlighted that students from these villages often travel to schools and Anganwadi centers through isolated forest paths and narrow trails, significantly increasing the risk to their safety.