KATHMANDU, MARCH 16
Human casualties from wildlife attacks are on the rise in national parks and wildlife reserve areas in the country.
People continue to be attacked by animals from the national parks and wildlife reserves, indicating that human-wildlife conflict has continued.
Three people lost lives to incidents of wildlife attacks near the national parks and buffer zones in a period of one month (mid-February to mid-March) while four people were injured.
On March 4, a woman was attacked to death by a rhino while collecting fodder in a paddy field in Chitwan, said Nepali Army's National Park and Wildlife Conservation Directorate.
Likewise, Lal Bahadur Chaudhary died after being attacked by a tiger from Bardiya National Park when he was in Naualobans Ilaka Community forest of Geruwa Rural Municipality to graze buffaloes.
Similarly, Reena Sunar, 26, was killed in a tiger attack in the course of collecting fodder in the national forest at Bhagadaiya of Madhuban Municipality in Bardiya.
Chitwan, Bardiya and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve reported incidents of wildlife attacks in which four people were injured. It is believed that cases of human-wildlife conflict have soared due to increasing human encroachment of forest area, which has forced wildlife to enter the buffer zone and human settlements in search of food and pasture land.
Mangal Bahadur Kunwar of Bharatpur metropolis and Firala Mahat of Ratnanagar Municipality were injured in rhino attacks, while Saroj Karki of Geruwa Municipality, Bardiya, was injured in tiger attack, according to the NA.
In Sunsari, Kabita Kumari Uraun of Barahachhetra Municipality was attacked by a wild buffalo while cutting grass in a paddy field, leaving her injured.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 17, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
