‘Sundari’ mauls woman to death

Bantala: A woman was mauled to death by Royal Bengal Tigress (RBT) ‘Sundari’ of Satkosia sanctuary in a village near the reserve forest in Angul district Wednesday, locals alleged. The deceased was identified as Kailashi Garnaik of Hatibari village.
Sources said the tigress attacked the woman when she was taking bath in a pond near Hatibari village in the district. The woman went missing since morning, the locals alleged. Apprehensive family members and co-villagers searched for the woman in and around the village only to find her body lying in a nearby jungle.
The incident sparked anger among the villagers as they held the forest officials responsible for the death. They alleged that the inefficiency of the forest officials to capture the wild animal had led to the tragic death of the woman.
The villagers claimed the tigress had strayed into their village Tuesday, leaving people unnerved. After reports surfaced, the forest department officials rushed to the spot and began looking into the circumstances in which the tigress attacked the woman.
The 27-month-old Royal Bengal tigress nicknamed Sundari was brought from Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. A Royal Bengal Tiger was also brought from Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh before the tigress. The tigress was released into Satkosia Tiger Reserve August 17 with an aim to increase the population of the big cats in the sanctuary.