Wild animal claws at student on university campus on Bhopal outskirts

Bhopal, Sep 6 (PTI) A wild animal clawed at a student at a private university on the outskirts of Bhopal, where pugmarks of a tiger cub and other animals were later spotted near the site, a forest official said on Saturday.

Mohammad Bora, a second-year graduate student, suffered a half-inch-long injury on his left leg in the attack on the varsity premises near Kaliyasot dam around 7 pm on Thursday, he said.

“We noticed pugmarks of a tiger cub and other wild animals, including hyenas, in the area. I can’t say for sure that it was a tiger cub that attacked the student,” Bhopal Divisional Forest Officer Lokpriya Bharti told PTI over phone.

The official said they have placed 12 cameras in and around the area and scanned the footage for the last two days. “So far, we have not spotted the cub,” he added.

“We have given tips to the varsity management on how to keep the area protected, like bursting crackers at night in the Samardha range,” Bharti said.

Area ranger Shivpal Piparde said Bora could not clearly see the animal in the darkness.

Bora was walking with two friends when an animal emerged from bushes and attacked him. His friends raised an alarm and pulled him away, prompting the animal to disappear in the shrubbery, he said.

“I spoke with him yesterday. He has since returned to his home in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan,” Piparde said.

Wild tigers have often been sighted in the area between Kaliyasot dam and Kerwa reservoir. Officials said the stretch was once part of a tiger corridor linked to the Ratapani wildlife sanctuary and tiger reserve. PTI LAL NR