Sitapur tiger
Villages in Sitapur district are gripped by fear as a tiger roams with its cubs across farmlands and settlements. In August, it killed 24-year-old Saurabh Dixit in Narni village. Since then, ten villages report daily panic, with residents abandoning fields and children skipping school. Stray cattle have vanished. Even jackals avoid the area.
Despite locals seeing this ‘Sitapur tiger’ almost daily, forest officials say they lack clear evidence, claiming their 15 trap cameras have captured nothing. A baited calf was eaten. A cage was set. Still, no capture. Villagers accuse the administration of dragging its feet. One man died of heart failure, allegdly after seeing the tiger. Yet officials talk of scanners and expert teams while people remain exposed.
Calling this Sitapur tiger a “man-eater” is convenient. In reality, shrinking forests and seasonal sugarcane draw tigers to fields. Without safe tiger corridors, Sitapur will keep living in terror. Tigers aren’t the invaders. Humans have erased the buffer zones.
The Sitapur tiger article:
Based on Dainik Bhaskar, India.
Photo via Dainik Bhaskar.
