Man-eater tiger of Dodhara brought under control

By Avinash Chaudhary,Dhangadhi, Aug. 3: The man-eater tiger that killed a woman in Kanchanpur on Thursday was brought under control on Friday morning. The captured tiger is an adult male. A technical team deployed from Shuklaphanta and Bardiya National Parks tranquilised and captured the tiger. 

The animal was darted in a sugarcane field in Dodhara of Chandani Municipality-2, which falls under the buffer zone area, according to Manoj Air, Information Officer of the national park.

To capture the tiger, a technical team from the national park, the Nepalese Army, the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), ZSL technicians and staff, local police administration and municipal representatives were deployed. Ganesh Rana from the Shuklaphanta of the NTNC darted the tiger, said Information Officer Air. Last year also, Rana tranquilised a tiger in Belauri using a dart gun.

On Thursday morning, the tiger killed 23-year-old Hira Shah in the same area while she was working in the field. The tiger, which had entered the sugarcane field after killing the woman, could not be taken under control on Thursday. Despite the efforts of the technical team with four elephants for half a day, the tiger kept moving in the sugarcane field, making it impossible to bring it under control on the first day, said Air.

To prevent the tiger from escaping from the encircled sugarcane field, the technical team, security personnel, and others conducted a reconnaissance of the area overnight with elephants. 

A calf was tied in the sugarcane field to prevent the tiger from leaving due to hunger, which the tiger killed and ate that night. Also, with the support of the municipal office, lights were set up around the area and a tractor was used for reconnaissance.

The tiger was captured after the technical team was reinforced with an additional elephant, making a total of five elephants. Around 150 people, including the technical team and security personnel, were involved in capturing the tiger. Furthermore, with the assistance of Dodhara Chandani Municipality, a JCB and tractors were used.

The sugarcane field belonging to Beer Singh Saud suffered damage during the capture of the tiger. The municipality is expected to provide compensation to the farmer. Efforts will be made by the national park office to assist the farmer, according to Air. A letter has been sent to the department for the management of the captured tiger. The management of the tiger will be carried out as per the department’s directives, the park office informed.