HUBBALLI: Karnataka Forest Department has ordered shoot or capture orders of a tiger that allegedly killed an 80-year-old farmer outside Bandipur Tiger Reserve on Tuesday. Shuivalingappa, the farmer from Hundipur village near the Reserve, was mauled to death reportedly by a tiger. The incident occurred when the victim was working in his field.
When the tiger went into nearby bushes, the locals tried to revive Shivalingappa. This is the second human casualty since September 1 from the village located on the edges of Gopala Swamy Betta Wildlife Range. First, the villagers had tried to locate the animal in a bid to chase it away, but they were in for a shock when the big cat sprung out from the buses and made a dash for the forest.
The angry villagers took forest officials to task for not taking measures to curb the menace. “There is regular movement of tigers on the edges of the forest. The department must take precautions to ensure such incidents do not repeat,” a local said, adding, “Apart from the death of two humans, three cattle have been killed too,” he added. Forest officials have complained that the villagers attacked some of them. The situation was brought under control after police arrived.