Shepherd found dead near MP's Kanha National Park; tiger attack suspected

Mandla, Dec 7 (PTI) A shepherd was found dead near Kanha National Park (KNP) on Sunday in a suspected tiger attack, an official said.

The exact cause of death will be known from the post-mortem report, which is awaited, Bichhiya range officer Avinash Jain told PTI.

"Pancham Dhurve went to the forest with his buffaloes on Friday and did not return. His reported him missing at Bichhiya police station. His body was found on Sunday near a forest stream in the Sarhi zone. As per initial inspection, it seems he was killed by a wild animal. Tiger movement has been reported in the area where his body was found," he said.

The spot where the shepherd was found dead falls outside KNP, which spans more than 1,000 sq km across Mandla and Balaghat districts and is recognised as the largest national park in central India.

Dhurve was a resident of Katanga Mal village adjacent to Sarhi zone. PTI COR LAL BNM