Tiger found dead in Karnataka’s Kodagu district

Over 150 forest department personnel and other agencies were looking for the tiger for at least two weeks. It is suspected to have killed at least three people and nearly 30 animals over the last eight months in the coffee-growing region

A tiger was found dead in Karnataka’s Kodagu district on Friday, state forest department officials said. The big cat is suspected to have killed at least three people and nearly 30 animals over the last eight months in the coffee-growing region, they added.

Over 150 forest department personnel and other agencies were looking for the tiger for at least two weeks. (Photo: Sourced)

“We have some images and it [the dead Tiger]; it appears to be the same. We are rechecking this,” said Karnataka’s principal chief forest conservator (wildlife) Sanjai Mohan. He added the cause of death and whether it is the same “human-eater” is being ascertained through a series of tests and investigations.

Over 150 forest department personnel and other agencies were looking for the tiger for at least two weeks. The inability to capture the tiger led to protests in the district. Resident blocked roads and highways demanding its capture.

A ruling Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from the district, Apachu Ranjan, also sought permission to gun down the animal. The forest department denied him permission, saying there was no such provision and assured him that it was looking for the tiger.

Officials said wild animals often venture into human settlements in search of food amid increasing territorial fights, depletion of resources in the forests, erosion of buffer zones, and the lack of corridors.

At least 434 cases of tigers attacking cattle and humans have been reported in the state since 2020. This marked a 37% increase in such cases. At least nine humans have been killed in these attacks, according to forest department data.