Hyderabad/Bihar: Sharpshooter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan shot dead a man-eater tiger at Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Bihar’s west Champaran district on Saturday after it allegedly killed nine people in the last few days.
“The wild cat was shot dead in Bagaha by a team of 500 forest personnel brought in from Hyderabad and Patna to Dumri village. A drone was deployed to track the animal,” chief wildlife warden Prabhat Kumar Gupta said.
Reports suggest that the tiger was three and a half years old at the time of its death. It had been killing people since September 12. It is suspected to have killed a 12-year-old girl whilst sleeping in her home in Sinhi village under Baghi panchayat on the night of October 6.
According to a forest official, efforts were made to cage the tiger but in vain. “We were close to trapping the tiger twice but failed,” the forest official said.
As the feline became more and more dangerous to the local population, the Bihar government gave orders to shoot it down. Hyderabad-based hunter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan was flown down for the operation. The carcass of the tiger has been sent for post-mortem.
Valmiki National Park is a tiger reserve in West Champaran district of Bihar. Located near Nepal border, the reserve is home to around 40 tigers. It covers 17.4% (898.45 km) of the total geographical area of the district.
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