In Bihar's Champaran, Northeast India... Snipers and Elephants Deployed
Unclear if the Shot Tiger and the Tiger that Attacked Humans Are the Same
In the Champaran region of Bihar, India, after residents continued to suffer fatal tiger attacks, a large-scale operation was conducted on the 8th (local time) to shoot the tiger. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Pixabay
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A tiger that had terrorized an entire village in India by killing nine residents has been shot dead.
On the 9th (local time), according to local media such as the Hindustan Times and foreign news agencies, Indian police announced that they shot the man-eating tiger the day before after a large-scale operation involving more than 200 personnel.
The incident occurred in the Champaran area of Bihar state, which borders Nepal. Since a 16-year-old boy was killed by a tiger on May 5, fatal accidents caused by tigers have continued until recently. Because of this, villagers were too afraid to go out in the evening. A villager said, "We had to set off fireworks and light torches every night to chase the tiger away," adding, "There was no other way but to kill the tiger."
However, the Bihar Forest Department did not grant permission to shoot the tiger, stating that they could not find conclusive evidence that the deaths were caused by the tiger. In response, residents protested demanding an order to kill the tiger, and finally, on the 7th, authorities designated the tiger as a 'man-eating animal' and issued a shooting order. Nevertheless, the next morning, a villager named Babita Devi (35) and her 8-year-old son, who were gathering feed for livestock, were killed by the tiger.
Eventually, local police, forest officials, snipers, and even two elephants were deployed in a large-scale operation to kill the tiger. After more than six hours, they found and shot the tiger. However, it is reported that there is no decisive evidence to confirm whether the tiger killed was the same one responsible for the deaths.
The person in charge at the scene, Neshamani K, said, "Measures are being taken to carry out all necessary legal procedures, including post-mortem investigations," and added, "The intestines of the shot tiger will be sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WWI) for forensic examination."
Meanwhile, some opinions suggest that the tiger attacks were caused by humans. Wildlife experts believe that as residential areas rapidly expand around tiger habitats, conflicts between tigers and humans are becoming more frequent.
According to the Indian government, it is estimated that 2,967 tigers lived in India as of 2018, accounting for about 70% of the world's tiger population. Between 2014 and 2019, 225 people died from tiger attacks in India. Additionally, over 200 tigers died due to poachers or electrocution accidents between 2012 and 2018.
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