An elderly Indian man and his teenage grandson were killed by the same tiger within less than 24 hours of each other, as dramatic videos capture the aftermath of the deadly attacks.
Raju, a Jenu Kuruba tribesman in Karnataka, was fatally mauled by a Bengal tiger when he stepped out of his home near the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve around 6:30 a.m. on Feb. 13, The Hindu reported.
Differing reports from The Hindu, Jam Press, and the Deccan Herald put Raju’s age at 70 or 75.
The elder man’s grisly demise came just 12 hours after his grandson, Chethan, 18, was also killed by a big cat while harvesting coffee on a plantation about five hours away from his grandfather’s home.
In a cruel twist, Raju had attended Chethan’s funeral right before his own death. A third family member, Jayamma, 56, died of shock after hearing about the double tragedy, Jam Press reported.
Because Raju and Chethan were attacked somewhat close together, officials assumed they were killed by the same tiger, and immediately began searching for the animal.
In one video, townspeople can be seen yelling in a crowd as terror over the animal grew.
B.N. Murthy, the Conservator of Forests for Karnataka’s Kodagu circle, told The Hindu that the combing operations involved five elephants and almost 150 field staff, as well as 25 trap cameras.
After hours of fruitless searching, the nine-year-old tiger suspected to have been behind the attacks was found near the Nanachi Gate of the Nagarahole reserve, Jam Press said.
A brief video clip shows the animal lounging in what looks like a long cement tube before it was reportedly sedated and removed to captivity.
In the meantime, some Indian officials lambasted forest workers for not taking appropriate action to apprehend the tiger following Chethan’s death.
“If the [Forest Department] finds difficulty in handling tigers, give us powers, we will handle tigers,” Karnataka politician K.G. Bopaiah said following the maulings.
Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs J.C. Madhuswamy told the legislative assembly that Forest Department officials would be punished if it was found that their carelessness led to Chethan and Raju’s deaths.
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