Tiger, cubs kill 2 more in Uttar Pradesh in 24 hours, fourth death in one week

BAREILLY: After 19 human kills and a brief lull, a tigress and her sub-adult cubs have struck again, twice, in the past 24 hours. Their latest victims were two farmers, both in their 40s. Monday's killings have spread terror among residents living around the Singahi range which falls within the buffer range of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. Since 2020, 21 human deaths have been reported from the region so far, with four cases in the past week alone, officials said.
Dudhwa field director Sanjay Pathak told TOI on Monday, "Our team had sighted the tigress, only for a few seconds, near Kharetiya village.We appealed to local residents to remain indoors and move in groups, that too only if necessary. Some of them ignored our repeated warnings which led to these fresh incidents." A forest official said there is a possibility that two sub-adult cubs of the tigress may be also responsible for the attacks on humans.

As panic spreads, villagers told to walk in groups
However, there is no official confirmation yet on the number of cubs, he added. Villagers, with information about the incidents, narrated the sequence of events on Monday and said Nagendra Singh, 40, a resident of Dumera Majhra Purab village, had gone to his field with his wife when he suddenly went missing. His wife returned home and informed others.
A manhunt was launched and late into the night, Singh's partially eaten body was found, with multiple pug marks in the vicinity. The second incident, villagers said, occurred 4 km away. Mindo Kaur, a 43-year-old farmer, was stealthily taken away while she was working in a farm. Her husband Banta Singh was close by. But he came to know about her wife's disappearance much later.
Pathak added: "The situation is tense in the region. There is terror all around. VIllagers are panicking. We are trying hard to trap the big cats. This particular tigress and her sub-adult cubs are outsmarting humans, for now. Residents near the forest should be more alert and careful."