MYSORE: Victims falling prey to tigers rose to three on Saturday with a tribal killed by a big cat.

What is worrying is unlike the two attacks in Bandipur tiger reserve, this time the tiger from Nagarahole tiger reserve has devoured its victim, a forest staff who was patrolling the forest area. Following the killing, the forest department has launched an operation to locate the tiger.

At around 5 pm on Friday, Suresh, a watcher belonging to June Kuruba tribe, returned to Balle Moorkal camp, an anti-poaching camp in Nagarole. Minutes later, he went out saying field staffs that he is going to answer nature's call. When he didn't return till after an hour, his colleagues tried to search him and alerted the range forest officer, who alerted the Kodagu police. Early on Saturday, the staff went on a hunt to find his whereabouts when they found his body some 200 meters from the camp.

We've found pugmarks of tiger at the spot leading us to believe that the watcher is mauled by the big cat, conservator of forests and director of Nagarahole tiger reserve R Gokul told The Sunday Times of India. This is first time that a field staff on duty has been killed by a tiger inside the tiger sanctuary, he stated. "He has died in the duty to save the national wealth. We'll extend him Rs 5 lakh in compensation," he said.

The tiger has attacked him in Nagarahole range, which forms the core of the tiger reserve spread over 643 sq kms. Suresh, who is from D B Kuppe in H D Kote, was recruited by the forest department two years back. His elder brother is also a watcher serving in Anechowkur range in Nagarahole tiger reserve, sources said.

The officials, who visited the site, have surmised that Suresh was killed by the tiger as he was sitting behind a bush. They ruled out foul play like killing by poachers pointing at the injuries on his body. A part of victim's right leg is devoured by the tiger before it left the spot. "This seems to be a freak accident as he was attacked from behind while he was attending to nature's call," Gokul explained.

What is intriguing is that victim is a skilled tribal and was attacked close to the anti poaching camp which house field staffs. However, wildlife activists said it could be a case of mistaken identity. "It looks like he was attacked since he was sitting next to a bush. Generally, the field staff, who patrol the forest area, let down their guard in the vicinity of the anti poaching camps given that the wild animals avoid the human territory," a wildlife activist, who has studied big cats staying in the tiger reserves, told STOI. These camps lack toilets forcing the staff to go out for nature's call, the activist, who didn't wish to be named, stated.

This is third death due to tiger attack in H D Kote in four days. On November 27 B Basavaraju from Naadu Haadi, a tribal was killed on the fringes of Bandipur which was followed by death of tribal Cheluva at Seegodu Haadi bordering Bandipur tiger reserve adjoining Nagarahole.