Nov. 3 (UPI) — A sharpshooter has shot a 5-year-old female tiger in India suspected of killing 13 villagers.
Asghar Khan, son of famous tiger hunter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan, shot the tiger in the Indian state of Maharashtra dead Friday night, the Times of India reported.
The tiger had escaped capture for more than two years, The New York Times reported.
Villagers terrified by the animal that forest rangers named T-1 applauded the news, but wildlife activists were infuriated.
Hunters said the plan was to tranquilize her, but she roared and charged after being hit by a tranquilizer dart at short range, leaving them no other option.
However, the Times of India reported she was shot dead with no efforts to tranquilize her and the shooter did not have a wildlife veterinarian accompanying him. The shooter would have violated the forest department’s order upheld by the high court that stated tranquilizing efforts would be done before killing.
A dart was seen on T-1’s body, but it looked as if it had been pinched manually instead of being fired, according to sources. A forensic and ballistic test would be needed to show exactly what happened.
“This is a coldblooded murder,” said Jerryl Banait, an animal rights advocate who had gone to India’s Supreme Court in an attempt to force the authorities to spare T-1’s life and capture her instead.
