Tiger kills farmer near UP's Corbett National Park

A tiger has killed a farmer in a field near the Corbett National Park in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad District.

The incident was reported over the weekend, and now forest rangers have launched a combing operation for the tiger in an attempt to drive it towards the Corbett National Park.

The tiger is reported to have attacked the farmer and his father, who was also injured, as they were busy working in the sugarcane field.

Wildlife experts say endangered tigers are turning on humans due to shrinking of the tigers' natural habitat.

In past few weeks, there have been reports of frequent intrusion by the tiger into the village.

Forest rangers and local administration have swung into action to locate and capture the big cat.

"We are tracking the tigress and we have come to know the direction. It is very difficult to track a tiger in sugarcane field but we are doing it," said district magistrate, Sanjay Kumar

There were about 40,000 tigers in India a century ago, but in recent years the tiger population has fallen largely due to dwindling habitat and poaching.

India's big cats are under threat, with increasing number of these spotted feline beauties being poached for their hide and body parts.

Depletion of their habitat has also threatened the leopards, forcing them to stray into human settlements - attacking people, poultry birds and livestock cattle - and often getting killed in return.