Chandrapur: Two separate tiger attacks in the district have claimed the lives of a villager and a woman, underscoring the escalating human-wildlife conflict in forested pockets of Chandrapur. With these incidents, the death toll in predator attacks this year has risen to 11 (10 caused by tigers and one by a leopard).In the first incident, an 81-year-old villager, Baliram Pendam of Maregaon, was killed in the Maregaon beat of the Sindewahi forest range on Wednesday evening. Pendam had ventured into the nearby forest to collect mahua flowers when a tiger attacked him. The beast fatally mauled him, targeting his neck.Forest department officials rushed to the spot upon receiving information. Immediate financial assistance has reportedly been extended to the bereaved family. Authorities have since intensified patrolling in the area, issued alerts to residents, and installed six camera traps to monitor the tiger’s movement.In another incident on the same day, a 45-year-old woman, Pramila Watghure from Talodhi, was killed in a tiger attack in the Talodhi-Balapur forest range while collecting firewood on Wednesday morning. She had entered a scrub forest near Savarla village with a group of women when the tiger struck, killing her on the spot in Compartment No. 89, an area known for frequent wildlife movement.Her companions raised an alarm, prompting villagers and forest officials to respond swiftly. A team led by range forest officer Arup Kannamwar reached the site and found that the tiger had dragged the body nearly 150 metres to a grassy patch near a water body.Police conducted a panchnama and sent the body for post-mortem. The Forest Department has provided initial compensation to the family and installed surveillance cameras in the area.Officials have urged residents to avoid entering forest areas during early morning and late evening hours, warning of active tiger presence in the region.
