Bengal Tigress Sundari Row: Satkosia DFO Transferred To Cuttack

Bhubaneswar: Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Satkosia Wildlife Division SMT Rehman was on Saturday transferred to Cuttack.

Though the Forest Department has not specified the reason for Rehman’s transfer, sources said it decided to shift him in the wake of the death of a woman of Hatibari village, who as alleged by the villagers, was killed by the Royal Bengal tigress Sundari.

On the other hand, the district administration and the forest officials are planning to hold a meeting with people living in the periphery of Satkosia Tiger Reserve next week. The incident had enraged the villagers, who had earlier expressed concern over release of big cats into the core area of the sanctuary.

Notably, the villagers of Hatibari in Satkosia had torched a forest beat house at Hatibari and the Range Office at Tikarpara after the woman’s body with injury marks was found on the outskirts of the village on September 12.

On September 13, the official had informed mediapersons that the tigress will be captured by an expert team by September 15. It had led to speculation regarding relocation of the big cat from the Satkosia Tiger Reserve. The government, later, ruled it out.

The tigress, since being release from the enclosure on August 18, has killed six cattle in Bipradiha village in the Athmallik Forest Division on two occasions. She was brought from the Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

As the big cat had been straying into human settlements in the periphery of Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary, members of SUCI (Communist), Angul district committee, organised a mass rally in the town on Saturday.

Pressing for their four-point charter of demands, they held a protest meeting in front of the district collector office.  They have submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister in this regard.

Their demands include relocation of the tigress and social security.