Forest guards in southern India say they have shot dead a tiger blamed for killing a man and a woman.
The authorities say the tiger, aged between 10 and 12 years, killed a farmer in Kerala state and a woman in neighbouring Tamil Nadu state last week, and had attacked another man.It was killed in the Gudalur forest on the state border on Wednesday evening.
India’s tiger population has grown rapidly with 2,226 tigers recorded in 2014, up from 1,706 in 2011.
The district authorities had deployed 160 forest guards to hunt down the tiger, which was spotted chasing a deer in the forest on Wednesday afternoon.
The animal was shot dead when it attempted to attack the guards, officials said.
There were a spate of tiger attacks in India last year, with at least 20 people killed.
The killings created tension, with angry farmers vandalising government offices and threatening to hunt down the tigers themselves.
With increasing human encroachment into their reserves, tigers often compete for resources with nearby villagers, leading to conflict.
Also, experts say, densely packed tiger forests – many call them the price of India’s conservation success – often lead to young and old tigers wandering outside, bringing them into closer contact with people. – BBC News
