Man-eating tiger in Karnataka forest traced and captured

A man-eating tiger was captured in Karnataka's Bandipur reserve forest late on Sunday afternoon. The tiger, aged 4 to 6 years, had killed two men since last month and a search was on for the animal since October 9.

Bengaluru: The man-eating tiger, which was at large for five days, was captured in Karnataka's Bandipur reserve forest on Sunday, an official said.

"The tiger was captured late in the afternoon with the help of Soliga tribals, who spotted it hiding in a bush," state Chief Wildlife Warden Sanjay Mohan, who was supervising operations from outside the forest, told reporters.

The tiger, aged 4 to 6 years, had killed two men since last month and a search was on for the animal since October 9 in the 872km Bandipur forest in the state's Chamarajanagar district, about 220 km southwest of Bengaluru.

"When the tiger was hit by a tranquilizer dart by forest guards atop on an elephant based on the Soligas' cues, it managed to escape into another bush. The Soligas proved crucial in spotting it again and hitting it with another darting to immobilise it," Mohan said.

"As the tiger lay unconscious after it was tranquilised, the forest guards captured and brought it out in a net with the help of the Soligas," added Mohan.

Soligas, who are experts in hunting the wild animals in the forests, found the tiger hiding in a thicket.

The veterinary doctor administered an antidote to the tiger after it was brought out of the forest to revive it.