On February 7, 51-year-old Juna Kumari Lamichhane of ward 7 in Madhuwan Municipality was killed by a tiger while working in her field.

Similarly, on February 15, at around 7 pm, two-year-old Rihan Chalauane from ward 5 in Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality, who was visiting his maternal uncle’s house in ward 7, was taken by a tiger from the courtyard.

Last Saturday, a tiger attacked and injured four-year-old Shivam Tharu while he was playing in the yard of his home in Madhuwan Municipality-4, Gamakka.

These recent incidents highlight the growing threat of tiger attacks in human settlements, posing a serious risk to lives and safety.

Tiger attacks have claimed the lives of 36 people in Bardiya district over the past five years, as per official records.

According to data from the Division Forest Office and Bardiya National Park, 12 people were killed in community forest areas, while 24 deaths occurred in the national park and buffer zones.

According to official data, from the fiscal year 2020-21 until mid-March of the current fiscal year, a total of 53 people have lost their lives due to wildlife attacks. Among them, 36 people were killed by tigers, 11 by elephants, five by leopards, and one by a rhino.

The data shows that 20 incidents occurred in community forest areas, while 33 occurred in the park and buffer zones.

The latest tiger census recorded 125 Bengal tigers in Bardiya National Park. Officials say the tiger population has increased in recent years.

“Tigers have become used to entering the settlement, and people are terrified,” she said. “It has become difficult to protect small children.”

Ward Chairperson of Madhuwan Municipality-7, Rajendra Hamal, said frequent tiger and wildlife attacks on livestock and humans have left residents fearful. “Security personnel patrol the area at night to prevent wildlife from entering settlements,” he said. “We locals also conduct patrols occasionally to support them.”

According to Division Forest Office Information Officer Ram Kumar Chaudhary, in the fiscal year 2020-21, seven people were killed in tiger attacks. In 2021-22, two people died due to tiger attacks, two from elephant attacks, and one from a leopard attack in forest areas. However, no tiger or leopard attack-related deaths were recorded in 2022-23. In the fiscal year 2023-24, four people lost their lives due to tiger attacks.

Chaudhary further said that as of mid-March this fiscal year, one person has died from a rhino attack, two from tiger attacks, and one from an elephant attack, making a total of four deaths in forest areas outside the national park.

“The number of tigers has increased in recent years,” he said. “At the same time, human settlements have expanded into forest areas, and new roads have been built through forests.”

He said increasing human activity in forests has led to more frequent tiger attacks. Officials believe a lack of prey is driving wildlife closer to settlements.