41-year-old labourer from Assam killed by tiger in Kodagu district

A 41-year-old labourer from Assam was killed by a tiger on Thursday in Nittur in Kodagu district, according to the officials.

They said, the incident happened when the deceased, identified as Mansoor, was grazing cattle near the coffee estate and a tiger had allegedly emerged from near the Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary to attack the cattle.

When the tiger attacked the cattle, Mansoor raised an alarm and attempted to chase away the tiger. The tiger then attacked the labourer and tore away his head, the officials said, while adding that the incident came to light when Mansoor did not return home in the evening.

Ponnampet range forest officer (RFO) B Rajesh said, “The incident occurred at around 4.30 pm on Thursday while Mansoor was grazing cattle. The tiger may have come from the Nagarhole sanctuary, which is 25 km from the spot. Normally, tigers do not attack humans, but due to old age, tigers may view humans as easy prey. No tiger attacks have been reported in the region in recent times.”

Shortly after the incident, villagers expressed outrage against forest department officials for failing to take action to prevent wild elephant and tiger attacks in the region.

B. Palangappa, a coffee grower in Nittur under Ponnampet taluk, said: “Despite numerous requests, officials did not take action to prevent the menace of wild animals. Many small farmers and growers turned to dairy farming for their livelihoods as an alternative to agriculture due to drought. Agriculturists living near forests face the hardship of losing crops to wild animals. Forest officials provided meagre compensation while the actual loss amounted to thousands of rupees in a single night.”

Following the protests, senior forest officials rushed to the spot to pacify the villagers. The villagers demanded ₹50 lakh in compensation for the deceased’s family. The autopsy was conducted at Ponnampet taluk government hospital, and the bodies were handed over to Mansoor’s family. A case was registered at the Srimangala police station on the border of Kodagu and Kerala, the officials added.