An Indian farmer had a lucky escape when he was attacked by a tiger while he and villagers and rangers were surrounding the animal.
The incident occurred in a village in Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka state, India, when a 22-year-old man named Mannu was attacked by a tiger, causing serious injuries.
The incident happened last weekend, when Mannu, villagers and forest rangers were trying to capture a ferocious tiger roaming near the village.
Previously, many people living in Honakanahalli village saw a tiger appearing in a field near the village and reported the incident to the authorities. Forest rangers and villagers managed to capture the tiger before it could attack and endanger the villagers.
The tiger attacked Mannu while he was being surrounded by people (Illustration: TOI).
Mannu and many healthy young men in the village followed the rangers to help capture the tiger, however, he was attacked by the animal while it was trying to escape. The villagers quickly rushed to support Mannu, causing the tiger to run away before killing him.
Mannu was brought to the hospital by villagers with many injuries on his body, including a dangerous wound on his neck. Mannu is currently out of danger and his health condition is gradually stabilizing.
The tiger that attacked Mannu was identified as a Bengal tiger, about 2 years old.
“We tried to use tranquilizers to shoot down the tiger, but it avoided it and jumped at Mannu to attack. After attacking Mannu, it ran away before we could shoot it down,” a forest ranger shared.
“Mannu is very lucky not to have died after being attacked by the tiger. He is now gradually recovering in the hospital,” this person added.
The process of capturing the tiger is still continuing and people living in Honakanahalli village are still very confused, worried that the tiger will attack them when they work in the fields or go out at night.
India is home to two-thirds of the world’s wild tiger population. According to survey results at the end of 2022, there are 3,682 tigers in India, up from 2,967 in 2018.
The increase in the number of tigers increases the number of conflicts between these predators and humans. Many people living in villages near forests and in nature reserves in India are attacked and eaten by tigers.
According to newly released statistics from the Indian government, during the 5-year period from 2018 to 2022, across India, 302 people were bitten to death by tigers. In 2022 alone, this number is 112 people.
The number of wild animal attacks and deaths is becoming increasingly common in India. In the northern region, people are mainly attacked by leopards and elephants, while the number of tiger attacks on people mainly occurs in the southern region of India.
Not long ago, there was one in two villages located near each other in India. The incident made many people living in these villages very worried. Until the leopard was shot dead by the authorities, people could safely return to their daily routine.
Theo DH/TOI
