Leopard claims life of another farmer amid persisting tiger threat in Kheri
While officials from the South Kheri Forest Division have been monitoring and tracing an errant tiger near Imaliya and Muda Assi villages since August 28, following two fatalities in its attacks in the Belahri beat of the Mohammadi range, a leopard has now unleashed terror in the Bela Pahara beat of the same range, claiming the life of a 50-year-old farmer. The victim, Prabhu Dayal, was a resident of Shahpur Raja village under the Mohammadi Kotwali range.
Prabhu Dayal had gone to the fields to collect fodder for his domestic pets when the wild animal, hiding in a nearby sugarcane field, attacked him.
His partially eaten body was recovered hours later after worried family members and villagers conducted a search.
Range officer Naresh Pal Singh, along with deputy ranger Ram Naresh Verma and foresters Rajesh Kumar and Rohit Kumar, rushed to the scene and combed the area; however, no trace of the errant big cat was found.
The officials and villagers recovered the deceased’s slippers and sickle, which ultimately led to the discovery of his body.
Villagers initially claimed that Prabhu Dayal had been attacked by a tiger; however, divisional forest officer (DFO) Sanjay Biswal told Hindustan Times that the pugmarks detected at the site indicated a leopard’s attack.
He added that the body had been sent for a postmortem examination and that further proceedings would follow the report.
Biswal noted that the location was about 20 km away from Imaliya and Muda Assi villages, where a tiger had killed two individuals on August 27 and September 11.
He further mentioned that villagers had been advised to remain alert, and forest teams had been deployed to ensure their safety, as the area is very close to the Bela Pahara reserved forests, where wildlife movements are common.
Meanwhile, the third human casualty in the Mohammadi range since August 27 has triggered a fresh wave of panic among villagers.
Mohammadi BJP MLA Lokendra Pratap Singh visited the grieving family on Tuesday to offer his condolences.
Dhaurahra MP Anand Bhadauriya expressed concern over the growing man-animal conflict on his X handle (formerly Twitter), demanding that the administration find a solution.
DFO Sanjay Biswal also provided details of the ongoing operations in the Belari beat of the Mohammadi range, where an errant tiger had killed two people on August 27 and September 11. He stated that intensive combing operations were continuing in tiger-affected villages such as Imaliya, Muda Assi, Muda Jawahar, Gharthaniya, and Baghmara to trace and localize the tiger. Tranquilizing experts Dr Deepak from Katarniaghat and Dr Daya from Dudhwa were engaged to rescue the tiger.
Recent incidents of big cat ttacks in Mohammadi Range
August 27: Ambarish (40) of Imaliya killed in tiger attack.
September 11: Jakir (40) of Muda Assi village killed in tiger attack.
September 29: Tejpal (40) of Bhadaiya injured in tiger attack.
October 1: Prabhu Dayal (50) of Shahpur Raja killed in leopard attack.
