Bhandara farmer dies in tiger attack

Nagpur: A farmer was killed in a tiger attack in Pitesur in Jamkandri range under Bhandara forest division on Thursday — the first human casualty due to a tiger attack in the range. Forest authorities are bewildered as Jamkandri range, part of Navegaon-Nagzira-Pench corridor, has no previous record of tiger attacks on humans.The deceased, identified as Laxman Doman Mohankar (60), left his residence on Wednesday at 3pm to go fishing and visit his farm. Mohankar is the 41st victim of human-wildlife conflict in the state in the last nine months.When he failed to return by nightfall, Mohankar's two sons, who work as agricultural labourers, sought villagers' help and initiated a search. Around 11pm, they discovered his mutilated remains in the forest. "The tiger dragged the body into the forest and partially consumed it," forest officials reported.Despite consistent reports of tiger and leopard presence in Jamkandri and the adjacent Lendezari range recently, Bhandara forest officials have not conducted a scientific survey to determine tiger numbers for improved monitoring."Forest officials only become aware of tigers when an incident occurs. The victim's family has received partial compensation of Rs 10 lakh. Camera traps have been installed to identify the tiger," villagers said.Despite recurring human attacks involving tigers and leopards, comparative data from the past three years indicates a declining trend in conflicts. As per official statistics, 111 people succumbed to wildlife conflicts in the state 2022-23, of which tigers were responsible for 81 fatalities, leopards (18), and other wild animals for 12 deaths. In 2023-24, 64 human fatalities were recorded, with tigers involved in 39 cases and leopards in 15 cases."Since April 1, 2024, 41 human deaths were reported, suggesting reduced conflict, although frequent wildlife encounters create an impression of escalating human-animal conflict," forest officials explained.Wildlife conservationists note that conflicts are localised to specific areas. "The reduction in conflicts partly stems from removal of problematic tigers. People's behaviour remains unchanged and they continue to venture deep into forests for fuelwood and cattle grazing," they observed.Forest officials attribute increased conflicts to growing tiger and leopard populations over six years. According to All India Tiger and Leopard Estimation-2018, tiger numbers rose from 312 in 2018 to approximately 444 in 2022. Leopard populations increased from roughly 1,690 to 1,985 during the same period.
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