48-yr-old woman killed by tiger in Mysuru distt

This is the first incident of a tiger attack in the N Begur range. No tiger attacks have been reported in this range for many years, said S Prabhakaran, Bandipura tiger reserve project director

A tiger mauled a 48-year-old woman from Moorband village in Mysuru district to death, forest officials said.

Following the tiger attack, the villagers are frightened to go to the fields alone, as the incident occurred during the day (HT)

The deceased was identified as Chikki, who worked as a goatherd. Forest officials said the woman was attacked by a tiger when she was grazing goats near the hill on Saturday evening.

“The incident occurred around 5-6 pm,” Bandipura tiger reserve project director and conservator of forests S Prabhakaran told HT. When the goats returned home but the woman didn’t even after 6pm, suspicion grew among villagers, who informed N Begur forest officials. “A search was launched, and the body was found near the forest watching tower,” Prabhakaran said. He added the tiger killed the woman and dragged her body inside the forest for up to 50 metres.

“This is the first incident of a tiger attack in the N Begur range,” Prabhakaran said. “No tiger attacks have been reported in this range for many years.”

“Though villagers have been facing a leopard menace, which took away many dogs, this is the first incident of a tiger killing a woman,” Channabasavaiah, a villager, told reporters.

“When the deceased did not return, we started searching for her near the areas where she was last seen. But it was dark, so we came back. We, along with forest officials, started searching for her, and around 7am, the body was found,” he added.

Following the tiger attack, the villagers are frightened to go to the fields alone, as the incident occurred during the day, Channabasavaiah said.

Officials instructed villagers not to venture out in the early morning or at night, and plan to install trap cameras to track the tiger. The forest officials distributed a cheque worth ₹5 lakhs to the family of the deceased. The remaining compensation amount will be given after the completion of procedures, said officials.

The autopsy was conducted at the HD Kote taluk government hospital, after which the body was handed over to family members, including husband Basave Gowda. The cremation was held on Sunday evening.