In the second such incident in the last two months, a farmer was mauled to death by a tiger on Tuesday morning in Karnataka’s Gundulpet taluk of Charamarajangar district.
Police officials said the incident occurred in the Hindupura area which falls under the Gopalaswamy Range of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. The issue has led to tension in the area with one forest official facing the wrath of an angry mob.
According to local officials, the deceased farmer has been identified as 80-year-old Shivalingappa. In recent weeks, the tiger was perceived to be in the vicinity as many cattle were found dead.
Tuesday’s incident occurred when Shivalingappa was tending to his farm in Chowdhalli village. The same tiger is suspected to have killed another man last month in the same area. However, the involvement of the same animal is yet to be established.
Since then, forest officials have been trying to locate the animal who was thought to be injured or old as it has taken to killing cattle or people.
However, camera traps suggest the tiger is a healthy one and has been seen running rapidly. Normally, old or injured tigers that reside in human habitations take to killing cattle and other animals. Wildlife activists say the situation is rather perplexing.
Joseph Hoover, a conservationist and former member of the Karnataka Wildlife Board, said, “The forest officials have a difficult situation to handle as naturally the residents of the area will be angry and there will be anti-wildlife sentiments. With better conservation efforts, tiger numbers in Bandipur and the surrounding forests have grown though forest areas have shrunk due to encroachments. Tigers being territorial in nature, some of them have been forced to move out of core forest areas leading to occasional conflicts with humans.”
Forest officials are also not sure if there is more than one tiger behind the incidents. “We can’t say as of now if the same animal has done it, as three or four tigers are fighting for the territory. Efforts are on to capture it but since this in not a plain land, we have been unable to do it so far,” Assistant Conservator of Forests Ravi told TNM.
In September, the farmer named Shivamadaiah was returning to his village with two bullocks from a nearby village. The death in September had triggered protests against the Forest Department, with villagers demanding the department lay traps and set up cameras. The protests were withdrawn after the family was promised a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and a job in the Forest Department to his kin.