RFO hurt in tiger attack in Gundlupet

Bite injuries of the tiger on RFO Raghavendra.

Range Forest Officer (Gopalaswamy Hill range) Raghavendra was attacked by a tiger at Kallipura village on the fringes of Bandipur Tiger Reserve in the taluk on Monday. The RFO was left with bite and scratch injuries on both the legs.

Following an alert that a tiger had entered a field in Kallipura village, Raghavendra, along with a staffer Basavaraju, rushed to the spot. They were examining the pug marks to ascertain whether it was that of a tiger when the wild cat that was hiding in the bush, pounced on Raghavendra, biting him on his thigh and scratching his legs with its claws. When Basavaraju and other villagers shouted, the tiger vanished into the bushes.

Raghavendra was rushed to the government hospital in Gundlupet and was provided treatment. Bandipur Tiger Reserve director T Balachandra and ACF Ravikumar visited the hospital.

Speaking to DH, Balachandra said, "It is an accident. The duo visited the village after receiving an alert. The tiger, in an attempt to escape, attacked the RFO. As he received bite and scratch injuries, Raghavendra has been shifted to a private hospital in Mysuru as a precautionary measure. He is recovering," he said.

A tiger had attacked a forest guard, Ramu, at a field in Hangala village in February. He suffered deep injuries on his right arm.