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Man-eating Royal Bengal tiger shot in Nepal - paper |
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| NEPAL: November 13, 2001 | ||
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KATHMANDU - A Royal Bengal tiger, one of less than 6,000 of the endangered species, has been shot dead in southern Nepal after it killed seven villagers, state-run English-language daily Rising Nepal said yesterday.
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"It is suspected that the tiger had turned ferocious and started attacking human beings after it was wounded by illegal hunters," it said. A post mortem conducted on the tiger showed a two-month-old bullet injury on its right thigh. The government had asked security guards to shoot the tiger after it went on a killing spree in late October near the Royal Chitaun National Park, which is home to about 70 of the kingdom's estimated population of between 150 and 250. Wildlife experts say the world's Royal Bengal tiger population has fallen to between 5,000 and 6,000 from an estimated 100,000 at the turn of the last century because of poaching and habitat loss due to human encroachment. Nepali wildlife officials say a dead tiger is worth over $100,000 as its bones are highly sought after in East Asia for traditional medicinal uses.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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