Patna: Even as several villages remain marooned by floodwaters, residents of Danapur’s diara are facing growing threats from wildlife displaced from their natural habitats. A 60-year-old woman died after a snakebite in Madhopur village on Saturday night, while a wild boar injured three women in nearby Ganghara village on Sunday morning, triggering fresh fears among people living in flood-hit areas.The deceased was identified as Gayatri Devi (60), wife of late Ashok Singh and a resident of Madhopur village under Hetanpur panchayat in the Shahpur police station area. Family members said a venomous snake, apparently driven into residential areas by rising floodwaters, bit her while she was asleep at home on Saturday night.Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she died soon afterwards. The family alleged that the lack of boat services in the flood-affected area at night prevented them from taking her to a hospital in time. They claimed timely medical treatment might have saved her life.Shahpur SHO Naveen Kumar Singh confirmed the death. After a postmortem at the sub-divisional hospital, the body was handed over to the family. Former district councillor Om Prakash Yadav, district councillor representative Ranjit Kumar Yadav and former mukhiya Kanhai Rai visited the bereaved family and offered condolences.In another incident highlighting the dangers posed by displaced wildlife, a wild boar injured three women in Ganghara village on Sunday morning. Villagers said the animal had strayed into the village after being forced out of its habitat by floodwaters.One of the injured, Poonam Devi (60), wife of Rakesh Sharma, was filling water from a hand pump when the wild boar allegedly attacked her from behind, causing serious injuries. Her nephews, Brajesh Sharma and Chandan Sharma, recounted the incident.Another victim, Khatun Bibi (50), wife of Shahabuddin, was attacked while standing outside her house. A third woman also sustained injuries. According to Kanhai Rai, SDRF personnel evacuated the injured women to Pipa Pul Ghat, from where they were taken to a hospital.The incident came a day after a wild boar killed an eight-year-old girl and injured another person in Panapur, fuelling fears among villagers that more wild animals could enter inhabited areas as the floods continue.Danapur circle officer (CO) Dilip Gupta said wild boars had attacked people in several diara villages, including Old Panapur, Hetanpur, Ganghara and Manas. He said a rescue team from Patna Zoo comprising seven to eight members had been deployed in coordination with the district administration to capture the animals.Villagers alleged that despite repeated appeals to minister Ramkripal Yadav and MP Misa Bharti, effective measures had not been taken to tackle the menace.
