World

Man-eating tigress kills tenth victim after sloppy hunting team fails to catch her

Rachel Stoltzfoos Staff Reporter
Font Size:

A man-eating tigress in Northern India that has been on the prowl for human snacks since December and killed her tenth victim Tuesday after passing on a live calf set as bait a day earlier, The Associated Press reports.

Unlike the tiger, the three-man team of hunters apparently isn’t aware cows are sacred in India. Three of their fellow hunters hired for the job didn’t even show up.

Rupek De, chief wildlife warden of Uttar Pradesh, told the AP the tigress must be attacking humans because she can’t find enough natural prey. She is believed to have strayed from Jim Corbett National Park, which was established in 1936 as a refuge for endangered Bengal tigers.

“The tigress must be tired because it is not getting adequate rest,” De told the AP.

Villagers are tired of worrying about a man-eating tiger and seized a national forestry office Sunday demanding protection and compensation for families of the victims.

Saket Badola, deputy director of the national park, told the AP they understand the villager’s “predicament.” Thousands of these villagers have been advised to avoid forests and travel in groups. ”

“The villagers do not have toilets in their homes. They go out in the open or forest areas to answer nature’s call,” Badola told the AP. “In this scenario it is difficult to give protection to each and every villager.”

De said there seems to be a lack of coordination in efforts to trap the tiger. Aside from being understaffed, the team has struggled tracking the tiger in the forest.