Tiger attacks: shoot-at-sight order issued by forest minister Ramanath Rai

Belgaum: Shoot-at-sight order has been issued to kill a tiger that has attacked and claimed the lives of three persons in less than a week in the Chikkabargi forests of Mysore district.

As members in the Legislative Council voiced concern over the tiger attacks in the Bandipur-Nagarahole belt, Forest Minister Ramanath Rai said quick action had been initiated and order issued to kill the beast to protect the villagers.

In the latest incident reported from Hediyala range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve on Tuesday, a 55-year old farmer tending to his cattle was attacked and dragged away with only his head and limbs found in tact later.

The attacks by the big cat has claimed four lives in the belt of two adjoining national parks of Bandipur and Nagarahole. Apart from three tiger attacks in Bandipur, a forest watcher was killed in Nagarahole range on Saturday, with the incidents causing concern among local people and prompting forest officials to launch a combing operation in the vast swathe of forests.

The Forest Department had called off the combing operation after the second attack as it did not help them spot the tiger. Tuesday's incident sparked off protests from local villagers in front of the Forest Department guest house.

Experts and forest officials are divided over whether the tiger in question was really a man-eater.

Raising the issue during zero hour, Ramachandra Gowda (BJP) said one after another four persons had been targeted by the man-eater and no concrete action had been taken. All efforts including tranquilizing the tiger had failed.

JD(S) member M.C.Nanaiah insisted that there is no option other than killing the tiger as once it tastes human blood, there was no option but to eliminate it.