Came to catch tiger, got caged instead: Karnataka villagers confined foresters as they fail to nab big cat

NEW DELHI: Dramatic scenes unfolded in Bommalapura village in Karnataka as angry locals captured several forest department employees and rangers, locking them in a cage set up to catch a tiger.The protest came after the forest department failed to capture a tiger that had been causing fear and panic in the village. Villagers, frustrated over repeated unsuccessful attempts, decided to take matters into their own hands. They confined the forest staff in the very cage that was meant for the tiger as a mark of protest.Eyewitnesses said tensions ran high as the villagers surrounded the officials, demanding action to ensure the safety of their homes and livestock. Senior forest department officers and police were called in to pursuade the angry villagers.Karnataka recorded 75 deaths (April 2020- August 2025)Between April 2020 and August 2025, Karnataka recorded the deaths of 75 tigers. Nearly two-thirds of these were reported from Nagarahole (26) and Bandipur (22), with BRT Tiger Reserve and MM Hills losing eight and five tigers, respectively. According to Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, 62 of these deaths were due to natural causes, including internal conflict, illness, and old age.

Thirteen tigers died unnaturally, prompting cases under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Unnatural deaths were caused by gunshots, snares, poisoning, electrocution, poaching, and accidents. Only one tiger death in this period was reported as an accident: a 1-2-year-old male tiger was killed in a road accident in the Mysuru jurisdiction.