Villagers in northern India beat a tiger to death after it fatally mauled a man, according to U.S. media reports.
Pooranpur Police Inspector Keshav Kuma Tiwari told CNN the incident occurred Wednesday afternoon in the protected area of the Pilbhit Tiger Reserve.
Vaibhav Srivastava, Pilhibit’s district magistrate, told the New York Times that the tiger, a female between the ages of five and six, had attacked a man who entered the reserve to fish.
According to the Times, villagers who were working nearby in rice paddies attempted to chase the tiger away, but a battle ensued and eight people were injured.
One of the injured later died, Srivastava told the paper.
WATCH: Changes coming to Topeka Zoo as investigation underway into how tiger mauled employee
Forestry officials told the Times that several dozen people formed a group with the intent of killing the tiger.
H. Rajamohan, the tiger reserve’s field director, told the Times that someone had speared the tiger, and as it lay on its back, thrashing in the grass, villagers repeatedly hit it with sticks and machetes.
Rajamohan said the tiger crawled into the jungle, where the mob continued to beat it.
That is where the tiger died several hours later, Rajamohan said.
CNN reports that as a result of the incident, four people were arrested and 31 received an initial complaint from the local forest department.
WATCH: Australia Zoo unveils incredibly adorable tiger cub
Video of the brutal attack has circulated on social media and has sparked outrage.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, tigers are considered an endangered species, with only 3,900 remaining in the world.
Comments