Gundlupet: A tiger was killed in a fierce battle with a wild boar at Maguvinahalli village inside the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. The village comes under Himavad Gopalaswamy Range of the National Park.

The incident occurred last night or early this morning and the feline’s carcass was found by Forest Watchers who were on their usual rounds. Initially it was suspected that the tiger was knocked down by a speeding vehicle. On closer examination, the forest staff found a couple of wounds, bite marks and tusk marks. Officials ruled out the possibility of accident.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Project Tiger and Director of Bandipur Tiger Reserve T. Balachandra said that when the Forest Department team searched the surrounding areas they found a partially eaten carcass of a wild boar. “The hungry tiger would have hunted down the wild boar and the boar would have resisted which resulted in a fierce battle,” he said. 

After killing the boar, the tiger had eaten a part of it but could not survive the bite and tusk wounds delivered by the wild boar. Wild boars are equipped with thick, razor-sharp tusks, and a sharp mind. They are extremely dangerous and one small slip, the hunter becomes the hunted, said Forest officials. 

Balachandra and veterinarian D.N. Nagaraj visited the spot and a post-mortem is being conducted to determine the real cause of the death. The carcass will be disposed of as per the National Tiger Conservation guidelines, officials added.