Tiger mauls farmer to death 12 hours after killing his grandson in India

Forest officials are patrolling the area in southern Karnataka state to find the animal

More than 100 people were killed in tiger attacks in India between 2019 and 2021, official figures have shown. AFP

A 75-year-old Indian farmer was killed by a tiger on Monday morning, 12 hours after his grandson was also mauled to death by a tiger.

The incidents in southern Karnataka state are the latest in a series of animal attacks in the country.

The farmer, Raju, died after the tiger grabbed him by the head in a field in Palleri village, Kodagu region, where he had gone to relieve himself — a common practice in rural India, where toilets are scarce.

His body was found 200 metres from where his grandson Chethan’s remains were discovered.

Chethan was attacked on Sunday while harvesting coffee at a plantation site about three kilometres from the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.

The reserve spans 820 square kilometres between the Kodagu and Mysuru regions in the state and is home to 125 tigers, one of the largest populations in the country.

The incidents have sparked fear in the community, with residents complaining of a tigers preying on domestic animals.

Forest officials said they would patrol the villages to find the “man-eating” tiger and vets were on standby to sedate the animal.

BN Murthy, conservator of forests, Kodagu Circle, said five elephants were being used in operations involving about 150 field staff to search for the animal.

Authorities have also installed 25 camera traps to establish the identity of the tiger, which is thought to be injured.

India is home to more than 70 per cent of the world's wild tigers.

While the animals are protected species, they are often forced to move out of sanctuaries and jungles and stray into populated areas.

More than 100 people were killed in tiger attacks in India between 2019 and 2021, official figures have shown.

In October, Indian police shot dead a tiger named the "Man-eater of Champaran" after it killed at least nine people.

The big cat became feared by locals on the fringes of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Champaran, eastern India, killing at least six people in a month, including a woman and her eight-year-old son.