Bhopal, Sep 7 (IANS): While a woman and her 15-month-old son are still admitted in a hospital after a tiger attacked them in a village located in the outer circle of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Umariya district of Madhya Pradesh, another incident of a big cat attacking a villager was reported in the district on Wednesday.
The elderly villager has been admitted in a hospital after surviving the tiger attack. The forest officials were trying to drive the animal back to the buffer zone of the BTR.
In the first incident, which occurred on Sunday, a tribal woman fought against a male tiger to save her 15-month-old son. The brave mother received multiple injuries before the other villagers chased away the animal.
A video has surfaced on social media showing the villagers chasing the tiger. Later, the forest officials with the help of at least six elephants chased the tiger and sent him back to the buffer zone of the BTR.
The woman, identified as Archana Choudhary, had gone to the fields to attend to nature's call and took her 15-month-old son Raviraj with her. In the meantime, a tiger approached the place where Archana had kept her son and attacked the baby. The tiger held Archana's son in its jaws but Archana attacked the big cat with her bare hands and prevented it from biting her son. While she was making efforts to save her baby, the tiger started attacking her but that did not deter the brave mother. However, by that time the villagers reached the spot and drove off the tiger.
Spread over 105 sq km in the Vindhya Hills of Umaria district, BTR is one of the main wildlife sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh, which is also known for its White and Bengal Tigers. With varied biodiversity and famous for having the highest density of tigers in the country, the BTR also has the largest breeding population of leopards and various species of deer.
There are over 100 villages located in the surrounding area of the BTR, with over a dozen being closely located in the buffer zone, which is why the villagers in Umariya district often come face to face with wild animals.
"Wild animals come out of the buffer zone due to many reasons, but the forest officials chase them back toward the earmarked area or rescue them," said a forest official deployed in Umariya district.