The Royal Bengal tiger's carcass weighing 200 kg was found in Kamandihi forest
Lalgarh in West Bengal, once active with Maoists, has now become the killing field of an adult Royal Bengal tiger. The endangered beast was discovered in a forest in the area with a spear through its face.
For the last three months, the tiger had been sighted in the area. Agitated villagers had reported the matter to the wildlife authorities, following which the officials had launched a hunt for it.
They used drones fixes with advanced cameras to locate the tiger but could not see the animal.
The area's mainly tribal population was angry and scared -- angry that the authorities were not doing enough and scared of a possible attack by the tiger.
On Friday, the carcass weighing around 200 kilograms was found in Kamandihi forest in West Midnapore district, with a spear through its face.
Not far away was the carcass of a half-eaten wild boar. Forest officials suspect the tribals came upon the tiger while it was eating the wild boar and speared it to death.
As hundreds of villagers gathered at the spot at 2:30 pm on Friday, the forest officials had to ask them for help to lift the tiger on to a vehicle. The villagers then demanded money to do so.
The tiger was taken away for a post-mortem to Garbeta. The animal could have come from Simlipal forests or from Palamu, though the exact origin is not known.