Kolkata: The Royal Bengal tiger, which remained elusive for the last 42 days in West Bengal’s Lalgarh was found dead at the Bhaghora-adjacent Kanandiha forest near Jhargram district’s Kotawali area on Friday morning.
Speaking to News18, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife and Chief Wildlife Warden, West Bengal, Ravi Kant Sinha said, “The tiger was killed by a section of local people. It happened around 11.30 am when our officers were patrolling inside the jungle. They heard the local people shouting inside the jungle some distance away. When they reached the spot, they saw the tiger lying dead.”
He said, “There were three sharp weapon injury marks on tiger’s body, one each on the back, ear and neck. We have sent the body for post-mortem examination. The local people prevented our officers and refused to hand over the body. They attacked our men too. Two of them received injuries. A wild boar was also found near tiger’s body. It seems that the local people killed the tiger when the tiger was preying on the boar.”
The tiger was first spotted on 2 March in the forest covered area of Lalgarh and was presumed to have strayed in from the forests of Jharkhand. But the big cat managed to escape despite several attempts to capture it by the state forest department officials.
Recently, the beast attacked three villagers and managed to flee reportedly through a culvert inside a forest near Kotawali area.
On Friday, the villagers managed to surround the cat after they located it feasting on a wild boar. The villagers were armed with traditional weapons like spears and clubs on account of the ongoing local tribal hunting festival. Eyewitnesses said the tiger attacked and severely injured two villagers who had to be moved to the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital following which the villagers lynched the cornered beast.
Questions have, however, been raised on why forest officials failed to track down the endangered animal and capture it alive despite knowing its presence for so long.
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