Tribal woman killed by tiger near Bandipur Tiger Reserve

Machamma was grazing her goats and sheep near a village bordering the Bandipur Tiger Reserve when a tiger reportedly dragged her into the forest and mauled her to death.

A tribal woman was reportedly killed in a tiger attack near the forest fringe at Nanjadevarabetta Hill, close to the Doranakatte Tribal Colony in Nanjangud taluk of Mysuru district, on Wednesday.

The deceased was identified as Machamma, a 45-year-old shepherd. She was grazing her goats and sheep near a village bordering the Bandipur Tiger Reserve when a tiger reportedly dragged her into the forest and mauled her to death.

Nagamma and Radhika, who had also gone to the area with their livestock, alerted the villagers. Forest officials rushed to the spot and traced her body.

Following the incident, residents of the Doranakatte Tribal Colony have been cautioned. About 85 tribal families live in the colony adjacent to the forest fringe. A similar incident occurred a few years ago, when a tiger killed a farmer in the area.

The Forest Department launched a combing operation on Wednesday night, while a drone-based search was also under way.

As part of the compensation, forest officials handed over a cheque for ₹5 lakh to the family of the deceased. The remaining ₹15 lakh would be paid to the family after receiving the post-mortem report, said D. Paramesh, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Yediyala subdivision.

In another incident of human-animal conflict reported on Tuesday at the Akala village in Nanjangud taluk, a farmer, who sustained injuries while trying to rescue his cow from a tiger, was undergoing treatment at K.R. Hospital and was responding well to treatment, a Forest Department official said.

The tiger remains inside the forest, and staff have been monitoring its movement. Villagers have been warned against entering the forest area, the official added.