{
  "id": 8061090,
  "title": "India’s tiger success brings a new challenge: Living alongside the big cats",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/indias-tiger-success-brings-a-new-challenge-living-alongside-the-big",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-17T14:43:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mongabay",
    "slug": "mongabay",
    "url": "https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/indias-tiger-success-brings-a-new-challenge-living-alongside-the-big-cats/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mahadeva Gowda, a 45-year-old farmer, was working in his cotton field in Badagalapura, a village in Karnataka, India, when a tiger attacked him unexpectedly. The tiger, which was part of a population estimated between 154 and 175, severely injured Gowda's face, including his eyes and part of his facial structure. After multiple reconstructive surgeries, Gowda's life has been dramatically altered; he is now completely blind, can only partially open his mouth, and struggles to speak clearly. His wife, Indrani, notes that their family's survival is becoming increasingly difficult as Gowda, the primary provider, can no longer work and is now fully dependent on her for all his needs.\n\nJust two weeks later, another tragic incident occurred in the same region. Rajashekarappa, a 55-year-old farmer, was tending to his cattle when a tiger attacked him, resulting in his death. Residents of Badagalapura and other nearby villages, situated on the edge of the forest, frequently encounter tigers, placing them within what the forest department categorizes as a \"tiger landscape.\" According to S. Prabhakaran, a former conservator of forests who once oversaw operations at Karnataka's Bandipur Tiger Reserve, tigers have been present in this landscape for centuries and continue to move through it.\n\nThe Bandipur Tiger Reserve, spanning 1,456 square kilometers (562 square miles), is home to an estimated 154 to 175 tigers, as reported by India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority in a 2024 estimate. Despite the long-standing presence of tigers in the region, the increasing frequency of human-tiger conflicts poses a significant challenge for both local communities and conservation efforts.",
  "summary": "Forty-five-year-old Mahadeva Gowda was tending to his cotton farm in the village of Badagalapura in the southern Indian state of Karnataka when a tiger lunged at him from behind. He was caught unaware: He says he wasn’t aware that the forest department was trying to capture a tiger roaming through the area. Before he realized […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}