Tiger maims boy to death then kills his grandfather hours after escaping nature reserve

Farmer, Raju, died after the tiger grabbed him by the head in a field in Palleri village, Kodagu region, in the south from India, where he had gone to relieve himself

A tiger mauled a young boy to death before he turned on his grandfather (file image) (

Image: Getty Images)

A tiger mauled a young boy to death before turning on his grandfather and killing him after he 'escaped' from a nature reserve in India.

The 75-year-old farmer was tragically found dead in the southern Indian state of Karnataka on Monday, just 12 hours after the death of his grandson.

The farmer, Raju, died after the tiger grabbed him by the head in a field in the village of Palleri, Kodagu region, where he had gone to relieve himself - which is normal in the Rural India, where toilets are scarce.

His body was reportedly found 650 feet from where the remains of his grandson Chethan were discovered.

The boy had been attacked while harvesting coffee at a plantation site three kilometers from the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.

The tiger is believed to have lived in the reserve, which spans over 316 square miles between Kodagu and Mysuru regions.

The reserve is home to 125 tigers, one of the largest populations in the country.

The boy had been attacked while harvesting coffee (

Picture:

Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Forestry officials said they would patrol villages to find the "man-eating" tiger and that vets were ready to put the animal to sleep.

Authorities also set up 25 camera traps to establish the identity of the tiger, which is believed to be injured.

India is home to over 70% of the world's wild tigers, meaning attacks are relatively common.

More than 100 people have been killed in tiger attacks in India between 2019 and 2021, according to official figures.

In October, Indian police shot dead a tiger named the 'Champaran man-eater' after killing at least nine people.

In July, the mutilated body of a man killed in a tiger attack was found in the jungle a few meters from the scene.

The tiger reportedly attacked two men who were riding a motorbike near the Ramnagar-Ranikhet road near the Corbett Game Reserve in Uttarakhand, northern India.

A man fled the claws of the big cat, but the second biker unfortunately lost his life and was dragged into the forest by the beast and killed.

The pair we...