A tiger killed a man and mauled two others in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district, an official said Tuesday.
The partially eaten body of Ved Prakash, 50, was found Monday evening lying in the fields of Banda village, which is on the periphery of the Pilibhit forest reserve. Those injured are being treated at a hospital and are out of danger.
'Pugmarks found at the site indicate it's a male adult tiger. Locals told us that the feline attacked the man yesterday (Monday) morning while he was bathing on the banks of the river and dragged him to a forest area,' divisional forest officer (DFO) V.K. Singh told reporters Tuesday in Pilibhit, some 250 km from Lucknow.
The incident triggered panic among the locals of Banda and its adjoining villages, who now prefer to remain in groups outside their houses.
'In order to allay the fear of the locals, teams of forest officials and wildlife experts are camping in the village. Efforts are on to drive the tiger away from the village,' Singh said.
According to officials, in the last census it was found that the Pilibhit forest reserve was home to 36 tigers.
