Tiger preys on cow on HPF premises in Tamil Nadu

COIMBATORE: A tiger attacked a cow on the premises of the abandoned Hindustan Photo Films (HPF) factory at Valluvar Nagar on Wednesday evening. Though first aid was given to the animal, it was found dead on Thursday morning and officials suspect a second attack by the big cat.

A video of the tiger roaming around the carcass of the cow went viral on social media.

According to forest sources, the tiger attacked the cow on one of its legs on Wednesday evening. However, locals chased away the animal by making loud sounds and it returned to the forest. On information, a veterinarian from the forest department provided first aid to the cow. But they were unable to shift the cow to another place, as the animal was severely injured and unable to stand on its own. So, the owners left the cow there.

On Thursday morning, when the owners and locals returned to the spot, they found the tiger roaming around the dead cow at a distance. The animal had already eaten some portion of the cow.  
Some of the locals captured the incident on their phones and shared the video on social media. Later, the tiger went inside the forest.

Nilgiris forest division officials fixed two camera traps to monitor the movement of the big cat and requested people living nearby not to come out during the night to prevent human-animal conflicts. A few of the Nilgiris North Range forest staff have also been deployed in the area.

Commenting on the incident a forest official said, “After the HPF premises was abandoned, wild animals including tigers and leopards are using the space. However, this is the first time a tiger has killed a cow. We have asked the people not to release their cattle alone for grazing.”