In a grim incident that has sparked outrage among conservationists, an adult male Royal Bengal tiger was killed and mutilated by a mob in Assam’s Golaghat district after it strayed from the Kaziranga National Park.
The tiger, which had reportedly attacked several villagers over the past few days, was cornered and slain in Dumukhia village under the Khumtai area. According to forest officials, the mob used spears, machetes and other sharp-edged weapons to kill the big cat, which had taken refuge in the village after leaving the protected forest area.
“The people considered the tiger to be a man-eater and so killed it. We retrieved the carcass and found that some body parts like a portion of skin, one leg and some meat are missing," an official told the press.
The carcass bore clear signs of mutilation. Its skin had been removed, ears and tail chopped off, and nails and whiskers plucked out. Officials believe these parts may have been harvested for the illegal wildlife trade, which remains a persistent challenge in the region.
Locals reportedly launched a coordinated attack, surrounding the tiger from all sides and chasing it before carrying out the fatal assault. “They used local weapons like machetes, sticks and rods to attack the tiger,” the official added.
The act received widespread condemnation on social media.
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Upon receiving information about the attack, a team of forest and police personnel rushed to the spot. However, the tiger had already been killed by the time they arrived. “On receiving information about the attack, a team of forest and police officials rushed to the spot. But the big cat had already been killed,” said the official. “A case has been registered by the forest department.”
Authorities are investigating the incident and efforts are underway to identify those involved. No arrests had been reported at the time of filing this report.
The Royal Bengal tiger, India’s national animal, is a protected species under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Any offence against the species attracts stringent penalties, including imprisonment and heavy fines.
The killing has drawn criticism from wildlife conservationists who have long warned against human-wildlife conflict in regions adjoining protected forests. With human settlements steadily encroaching on buffer zones and forest corridors, tigers often wander into villages in search of prey, heightening tensions with local populations.
Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to a substantial population of tigers and one-horned rhinoceroses. While park authorities have intensified patrolling to prevent such incidents, the current episode underscores the urgent need for more effective conflict mitigation and awareness campaigns in fringe communities.
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