Karnataka foresters out to catch tiger stung by bees

MADIKERI: Foresters and tamed elephants involved in combing and the tiger capture mission in Kodagu were injured in a bee attack on Thursday. The incident was reported on the forest fringes of Harihara village in South Kodagu.

The tiger footfall is back in South Kodagu even as residents captured the movement of a tiger at close human proximity. On Wednesday noon, a prowling tiger spotted at Harihara village in Ponnampet taluk, reigniting the fear among farmers, labourers and other residents.

Following this, the Forest Department took steps to trace the conflict tiger in the area. Alongside camera traps placed on the forest fringes in the conflict zone, the department took to the combing operation to trace the movements of the tiger.

However, on Thursday noon, DRFO Ranjan and tamed elephant Bheema were injured after they were attacked by a swarm of bees. The incident took place during the combing operation across the forest region in the village. Ranjan has been admitted to the district hospital in Madikeri and elephant Bheema has suffered minor injuries.

Nevertheless, the department continued with the combing operation with the rest of the staff, including another tamed elephant, Mahendra.

T Shettigeri, 2nd Rudraguppe, Harihara, K Badaga villages and surrounding areas have become a tiger conflict zone in the recent past even as two humans were killed in a tiger attack reported in February last year.