Tiger attack victim relives his trauma

Nagesh (Ballu)

The villagers under Dodda Byran Kuppe (DB Kuppe) Grama Panchayat, in HD Kote taluk, are yet to come out of the shock despite the fact the Forest department personnel were successful in capturing the ‘man-eater’ tiger on February 1, from Nagarahole forest range.

The big cat is said to have mauled three persons to death in a span of over one month. The people still report tiger sighting and attacks on cattle, which is not confirmed by the Forest department officials.

Nagesh (Ballu), the 15-year-old boy from Hosuru tribal hamlet, who tried in vain to save his grandfather Kencha from the big cat, recalled those spine-chilling moments when he came face-to-face with the man-eater. “It was 12 noon. We had been to the forest to collect tubers as usual. A tiger suddenly attacked my grandfather from behind. I attacked the tiger with the crowbar to save my grandfather. But, when the tiger did not loosen its grip on my grandfather, I climbed the nearby tree and shouted for help. The tribals and others rushed to our rescue. But, my grandfather had suffered severe wounds and bled to death. This was the first time that I saw a tiger. But, I am not afraid,” he said.

Meanwhile, the villagers are unhappy with the Forest officers for not showing them the proof of captured tiger. The panic-stricken villagers have been allegedly spreading false news about tiger sighting, leaving the Forest department in a tizzy.

The situation in the villages under Bandipur Tiger Reserve is no different. The elusive tiger/s has created panic among the villagers. In a bid to soothe their nerves, the Forest department has continued its combing operation in the region after a forest watcher was attacked by a tiger near Hangala village. The department has laid a cage and is monitoring the movement of the wild cat, using the camera-trapping method.

Ramaiah, who is being treated for severe injuries on his right arm at Gopala Gowda Shanthaveri Memorial Hospital, at Nazarbad in the city, narrated his frightening experience to DH.

“A four-member team was scanning the region after receiving information about the tiger’s movement near a temple at Kalligowdanahalli, on February 1. It was around 9.45 am. We were trying to spot the tiger, when an adult tiger suddenly pounced on me from a bush. I tried to stop it from clutching my throat, by pushing its face. It managed to bite my right arm before my colleagues scared and pushed the animal aside. It fled. I was bleeding profusely and the staff shifted me to the hospital,” he said.