Bengal Tigress Sundari Enters Satkosia Village Again, Kills Cow

Angul: Royal Bengal Tigress Sundari has spread panic among people of Hatibari village in Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha’s Angul district again by killing a cow in the broad daylight, on the outskirts of the village on Sunday.

According to some villagers, the tigress pounced on a cow while it was grazing and dragged it inside the forest.

On being informed, Forest staff of Hatibari Beat House and Tikarpada Range Forest rushed to the village.

The tigress, which was brought from the Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh on June 28 and released into the core area of Satkosia Tiger Reserve on August 18, had the Forest officials on their toes after it strayed into human settlements in Athmallik Forest Range and killed a calf of Bipradiha village after crossing an overflowing Chanagodi Nullah on September 2. Later, it had killed five cattle in the village on September 14.

Tension had prevailed at Hatibari village in Satkosia after the irate people of the village ransacked Dhandatopa Forest Beat House and Tikarpara Forest Range office and set them on fire after the death of a woman whose body was found on the outskirts of the village on September 12.

A team of experts from Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau had arrived at Satkosia and monitored the movement and behaviour of the tigress for three days.

As Sundari did not show any sign of leaving the human settlements, the Forest officials had decided to either tranquilise her or trap her inside a cage.

However, much to their relief, she moved inside the core area of the tiger reserve on the night of October 3.

However, this incident has set the alarm bell ringing for the Forest Department.