MYSURU: Mysuru district witnessed yet another tiger attack on a farmer at Kurnegala village in Sargur taluk on Friday, marking the third such incident in a month.
Just five days after a tiger mauled 55-year-old farmer Rajashekar to death while he was grazing cattle in Bennegere village of Hediyala hobli near Chikkadevamma Hill, another farmer Dodda Ningaiah (65), a resident of Koodadi village, was killed in a similar attack on the forest fringes on Friday afternoon.
The latest incident occurred near Hediyala forest range under the Moleyuru division of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Ningaiah was reportedly grazing his cattle in an open field close to the forest when the tiger pounced on him, killing him instantly. It later dragged the body into the woods. Villagers, who witnessed the attack, raised an alarm, chased the tiger away and recovered the body from the forest.
A wildlife activist, however, said the attack occurred inside the forest area near Kurnegala. The farmer suffered fatal injuries to his neck and head, and villagers later retrieved the body by crossing the Elephant Proof Trench (EPT) built to prevent wild elephants from entering human settlements, he added.
Forest officials and police rushed to the spot and launched an investigation. Angry villagers and Ningaiah’s family members protested, demanding that the Forest Department capture the tigers that have been coming close to human habitats.
Nugu Wildlife Range RFO Vivek said, “Dodda Ningaiah had gone to graze his cattle when a tiger attacked him. Senior forest officials have visited the site and carried out an inspection.”
Wildlife activist Joseph Hoover said, “In all the three attacks, the victims have suffered deep claw injuries to the face and neck. Three tigers have already been captured and shifted to rehabilitation centres in Bannerghatta and Koorgalli. It’s unclear if the same tiger is responsible for both the recent attacks. There are at least three tigers in the region, including two sub-adults, and a tigress with two cubs in the forest bordering Sargur taluk.”
130 foresters deployed to catch tiger
Over 130 forest personnel have been deployed to capture the tiger that killed a farmer at Bennegere village in Sargur taluk on October 26.
Following the death of farmer Rajashekar, the Forest Department has been conducting an extensive operation since Monday to capture the big cat. During the combing operation on Wednesday, officials found fresh pugmarks of a tiger in the fields of Bennegere village.
The operation is being conducted in areas under the Mullur Gram Panchayat, located on the fringes of Nugu Wildlife Zone within the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
Forest staff are using camp elephants -- Mahendra, Bheem, and Rohit -- to assist in the search, while trap cages have been placed to capture the animal. The operation is led by Chief Conservator of Forests (CF) Prabhakaran, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Paramesh and wildlife veterinarians Dr Ramesh and Dr Wasim Mirza.
Tiger attacks
> October 26: Farmer Rajashekar Murthy (55) was killed by a tiger while grazing cattle in an open field between Mulluru Hundi and Bennegere villages near Chikkadevamma Hill, within the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
> October 16: Mahadeva Gowda (35), a farmer from Badagalapura village, was severely injured in a tiger attack. He lost his eyesight after suffering grievous injuries to his face and remains in critical condition
