South Dholai on Edge as Mysterious Cow Death Sparks Tiger Scare in Rajnagar

An unsettling incident in Rajnagar village of South Dholai has stirred fear and speculation among villagers, who claim a tiger might be prowling the area. Early this morning, a cow was found dead in a local resident’s cowshed, bearing severe injuries that led the locals to believe in the involvement of a large predator. The unsettling discovery, combined with alleged pawprints found near the scene, along with the discovery of a leopard cat mistaken for a tiger cub a day earlier, has heightened the fear of a potential tiger attack among locals. While the origins of the attack remain unconfirmed, villagers are concerned anyway.

Nenu Mia, the cow’s owner, and his family awoke to find their cow lying lifeless with its jaw and throat severely mutilated, suggesting that a large, predatory animal might be responsible. Pawprints resembling those of a tiger were also found leading away from the cowshed, sparking immediate rumours. “The pawprints are visible moving away from the cow’s body,” remarked one resident, echoing the popular belief that a tiger is behind the attack.

The tension in Rajnagar is further intensified by an incident only a day earlier when a small leopard cat was discovered in the village. The villagers initially mistook the cat for a tiger cub and restrained it, believing it to be a young tiger straying from its mother. However, forest officials from the Hawaithang Forest Range later identified it as a leopard cat, a smaller wild feline native to the area, and safely released it back into the wild. Villagers now suspect that the supposed ‘mother tiger,’ distressed after losing its cub, may have attacked the cow in search of food.

Despite these beliefs, no official confirmation has validated the presence of a tiger. The forest department has yet to respond to the villagers’ fears directly. Many believe the marks on the cow’s throat resemble injuries inflicted by larger predators, but no direct evidence of a tiger has been observed. Still, villagers are unsettled, with the discovery of the leopard cat fresh in their minds, intensifying suspicions of larger felines in the vicinity.

The recent discovery of the leopard cat, initially mistaken for a tiger cub, has only fueled the tiger scare in Rajnagar. This past event, combined with the cow’s mysterious death, has led locals to jump to conclusions about a tiger’s presence, though the true cause of the cow’s death remains uncertain. Villagers are urging authorities to investigate the incident promptly, hoping that a closer examination will uncover the facts behind the attack and bring clarity to the growing fear in the community.