Fear has started to set in at Boegana in Thimphu after two cows were recently killed by what is suspected to be a tiger. Although foresters are unable to confirm it, one of the cows was dragged a few hundred meters which only a tiger would have the strength to do so. Officials are planning on how to go about next while local leaders are urging people to be vigilant.
It was late into the night on Monday when a pregnant cow was attacked right outside the owner’s house at Lhoteng village.
69-year-old Tshomo heard her cattle bellow and dogs bark outside, but as it was late, she says she was afraid to go out.
Instead, she shouted from the window. Hearing the noise coming from afar this time, she called her neighbours thinking it was their animals that were being attacked.
‘‘I heard the sound of a cow in distress at around 12 midnight. I didn’t know it was my cow that had been taken from right outside my house. I don’t know what animal took it but I suspect it to be a tiger. I thought it was my neighbour’s cow and I called them. By the time I knew it was mine, the animal had been dragged near the main road.’’
Tshomo says the cow was seven months pregnant and about to give birth. She was also milking the cow and earning roughly about Nu 15,000 every month from it.
Before this incident, there was another attack on a one-year-old calf but it was not reported to the officials. The incidents have placed fear among the residents.
‘‘Last time, a calf was killed and now we heard a cow was killed again yesterday. We are not sure whether it’s a tiger or something else, but we are worried for our children who could also get attacked. Most of them walk to school which is located a bit far from the village,” said Leki Tshering, a resident.
‘‘As our village is in the middle of the forest, our cattle often get attacked by wild animals. We are requesting the people to be cautious because a few cows were attacked by wild animals this time again. We don’t know whether it was a bear or tiger that attacked the cows,” said Wangdi, Boegana Tshogpa.
The second incident was reported to forest officials. Officials said they could have found out if it was tiger by inspecting the bite marks, but by the time the officers reached the scene, the cow had already been cut for its meat. They were also unable to find any paw prints at the incident site. However, it was found that the cow was dragged for about 200 meters and they say only a tiger would be strong enough to do it.
A few villagers also told BBS that they heard from highlanders who come down during the winter months about seeing an old tiger roaming the forests near the settlements.
Forest officials also confirmed tiger sightings in the jungles near Boegana caught on camera traps. Officials are currently planning to set up cameras to first identify the predator.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
