Gundlupet/ Mysuru: A Forest Guard on the beat was attacked by a tiger on the fringes of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve yesterday. Ramu escaped with injuries but is in a state of shock. He was admitted to the K.R. Hospital in Mysuru and was today shifted to Gopalagowda Hospital for advanced surgery.

A team of Forest Officers and Guards were in the process of capturing the tiger at Gopalaswamy Betta Range when it pounced on Ramu. Ramu sustained deep claw wounds on his right arm and there is a deep gash in the place.

The tiger had created terror in Hangala village next to the Bandipur Tiger Reserve and even attacked some villagers. Following this, the Forest Department had decided to capture the tiger. The attack on Ramu took place near Kallegowdanahalli close to Hangala village.

Chief Conservator of Forests Ambadi Madhav, who is also the Bandipur Tiger Reserve Director, said, the tiger may have been pushed out onto the fringes in a territorial fight. However, they have managed to drive the tiger back about 4 km into the jungle.

Captured tiger shifted to Mysuru

Meanwhile, the Forest Department shifted the tiger that had mauled to death three persons on the fringes of Nagarahole National Park to Sri Chamundi Wild Animal Rescue Centre at Koorgalli on the outskirts of Mysuru. The feline was tranquillised yesterday at Doddabyranakuppe (D.B. Kuppe) Range of the National Park.

The tiger is a five-year-old male and had its territory within the D.B. Kuppe range. It was first camera trapped in 2016 as a just grown up adult and coded in records. The Department had launched a massive combing operation since the break of the dawn yesterday.

Veterinarian Mujeeb-ur-Rehman sighted the tiger among lantana foliage and darted the tiger before it was secured from the vegetation and loaded on to a vehicle to be shifted to Mysuru.

D.B. Kuppe Range Officials said that the troublesome tiger was sighted 500 meters away from where it had mauled Kencha on Thursday afternoon and earlier images showed that it was the same tiger that had killed Chinnappa in Gundre beat of the Range.

According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority norms, the captured tiger should be relocated within a few minutes to a safe place before the tranquilliser effect wears off. No public display of the animal is allowed. Only a few people from the Panchayat are allowed to see the tiger.