Indian officials are warning people not to venture into a forest that serves as a tiger reserve after a monk was killed while meditating beneath a tree there, reports said.
Rahul Walke, a 35-year-old Buddhist monk attached to a temple in the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, had walked some distance away from the facility so that he could meditate, BBC News reported.
WATCH: Man injured as leopard escapes netting in India
The incident unfolded on Tuesday around 9:30 a.m., according to the Press Trust of India (PTI).
He had been meditating at the spot for as long as a month and fellow monks had been bringing him food there.
Monks had been warned about wild animals in the forest.
Walke’s body was recovered from the very spot where the attack took place.
One monk from Walke’s temple told BBC News that the leopard was seen attacking him as others prepared to bring him food.
The monk said he left to look for help but Walke was dead when people came back for him.
READ MORE: India may use Calvin Klein cologne to lure a man-eating tiger — here’s why
The Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve is the oldest national park in India’s Maharashtra state.
The reserve is home to species including mammals such as Bengal tigers, Indian leopards, sloth bears and striped hyenas, as well as reptiles such as the Indian python, the India cobra and Russel’s viper.
Officials have blocked off the area where the attack happened and will only allow people to the temple during certain hours, according to PTI.
Comments