Locals in Banke district have been terrorised as a pair of tigers is spotted in Agaiya-Kusum road section along the East-West Highway almost every day.
According to Chandra Bahadur Oli, ward chair of Raptisonari Rural Municipality-1 in the district, two Royal Bengal tigers inhabiting the Banke National Park (BNP) are seen straying into the street almost every day, terrorising normal life.
Locals of Gabhar, Kusum and Saurigaun are scared of a possible attack from tigers at any time. Last Sunday, a 45-year-old man was attacked near Gabhar and was devoured by two tigers. Two days before the incident, two big cats were spotted roaming around the Gabhar road, said local Kumar Khadka. On Monday, the pair was spotted for the sixth time near the highway while on Tuesday the pair of big cats were found straying in the area where they attacked the 45-year-old man and killed him.
BNP Chief Conservation Officer Shyam Kumar Shah said two tamed elephants and security personnel have been mobilised in the area to avert the incident. The pair might have been just isolated from the mother, said Shah. The park management is doing its best to ensure the safety of the residents. According to Officer Shah, a technical team has also arrived from the park to take the tiger under control. Currently, elephants are being used to prevent tigers from approaching human settlements and drive them towards their natural habitat. Sensor cameras have been installed at the place where the pair attacked the man and at two other locations. Fear has spread in the area after the man was killed by the tigers on Sunday, according to the BNP. Since then, the Banke District Administration Office has banned the operation of small vehicles on the Highway at night.
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