U’khand villagers use effigy of female near cage to trap tigress

Villagers trying to capture a man-eater tigress that killed two women in Tanakpur, Uttarakhand, recently have struck upon an innovative idea. They have put up an effigy of a woman attached to a cage to catch the rogue animal. The forest officials, however, have denied any knowledge of the effigy.

Area district forest officer Chandrashekhar Sanwal said they had taken steps such as sprinkling tiger urine near cages to attract the tigress in the past but the idea to set up a woman’s effigy has nothing to do with them.

“These initiatives might be the brainchild of local people, if any. The department does not set up effigies and only uses meat for bait,” he said, adding that camera traps set up by the forest department has helped the officials identify the tigress.

The tigress has been roaming about the forest areas in Tanak according to locals.

Last month, Radha Devi, 36, fell prey to it when she ventured into the forests to collect firewood. Before this, another woman, Sunita Devi, was also killed by the tigress as she went into the forests for fodder.

Lending his support to the villagers who have set up the effigy trap, Sushil Karki, a local, said: “The villagers here live in fear of the man-eater. No matter what measures are employed, the tigress should be captured,” he said.

Tanakpur in Champawat area shares border with Nepal and there are massive tracts of forest land that stretch till Khatima and Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh making it vulnerable to