On Tuesday, a 69-year-old farmer, Sidam Bheem, was killed in a suspected tiger attack in Khanapur village in Wankidi Mandal of Komaram Bheem-Asifabad district.
The tribal farmer was working in a cotton field when the wild cat attacked him, dragging his body towards the hills, according to forest officials; however, they are unsure whether the old farmer was attacked by a tiger or a leopard.
Villagers reported to the forest department that they saw a tiger in the morning on the same day Bheem was killed.
According to reports, the farmer was plucking cotton balls in a field on the outskirts of a forest when he was attacked. The incident is said to have occurred around 2.30 p.m.
When forest department officials and animal trackers received the information, they rushed to track the animal’s movements using the animal’s pugmark.
The officials claimed that no cattle were killed or tigers were spotted in the area in the past.
ALSO READ: Forest officials begin efforts to capture tiger that killed youth in Asifabad
Farmers Fear Leopard Attack, Sugarcane Harvest Suffers
Tiger Kills Farmer in Katarniaghat Sanctuary
Dinesh Kumar, the district forest officer, inspected the site and provided Rs 10,000 in immediate relief to the deceased’s family.
He also promised to provide employment to one of the family members and advised them not to leave the house for two days.
More camera traps were set up, according to the official, to capture images of the animal’s movement in order to determine whether it was a leopard or a tiger.
While it is unclear whether the attack was carried out by a tiger or a leopard, forest officials have advised villagers not to venture out into their fields for the next two days.
The land where the farmer and others were picking cotton is said to be ROFR land where podu land cultivation permits were previously granted. The place where the attack occurred is an hour away into the reserve forest from the forest’s edge.
(This story has been sourced from a third-party syndicated feed, agencies. Raavi Media accepts no responsibility or liability for the text’s dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, and data. Raavi Media management/ythisnews.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content at its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.)
