Tiger leaps into boat, drags fisherman off
A 62-year-old fisherman was catching crabs with his two children in India's Sundarbans National Park on Thursday.
The only problem with that? Fishing in the tiger reserve in the West Bengal state is prohibited. And for good reason.
The man was attacked by a Bengal tiger and dragged off into the forest.
The victim, Mr Sushil Majhi, lived less than a kilometre from a creek that runs deep into the forest, The Times of India reported.
The tiger caught the trio by surprise. It leapt onto the boat and went straight for Mr Majhi.
The Indian newspaper reported the man's son, Jyotish, 40, as saying: "I was stunned, and my body froze. All I saw was a flash of yellow. It took me a moment to register the gruesome sight before me."
"My father was completely buried under the beast. I could only see his legs thrashing about," he said.
Not the first tiger attack
The son and daughter attacked the animal with sticks and knives, but the beast clamped its jaws on Mr Majhi’s neck and would not let go.
It then leapt out of the boat and disappeared into the forest.
Other fishermen in the area paddled towards them to try and help, but none dared to chase the tiger deep into the woods, The Times of India reported Mr Jyotish as saying.
The man is presumed dead, and it is unlikely that his body will be recovered.
The Globe and Mail reported that this is the fourth deadly attack by a tiger this year in the Sundarbans.
Sources: The Times of India, The Globe and Mail
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