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Man-eater: Police in India are hunting a tiger which is believed to have killed seven people over two weeks
  • Woman's body was found in a forest in Uttar Pradesh, India yesterday
  • The tiger believed to have strayed from the Jim Corbett National Park
  • Authorities trying to have it categorised as a 'man-eater' so it can be killed
Police in India are hunting a man-eating tiger that is believed to have killed seven villagers in two weeks after escaping from an animal reserve.

The tiger's latest victim was an unidentified woman who was found in a forest Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh, India yesterday.

The female tiger is believed to be prowling over an area covering around 80 miles and is considered to be far more dangerous than others in the area due to a lack of hunting experience that forces the desperate cat to move closer to human occupation.

Rupak De, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in Uttar Pradesh, said of the latest attack: 'A hunt has been launched to kill the tigress that has turned into a man-eater... It must still be hungry as it has been running without rest and adequate food.'

The tiger is believed to have strayed from the nearby Jim Corbett National Park which covers an area of over 200 square miles and is is home to an estimated 200 tigers.

Forest officials have recruited two elephants in their efforts to track down the tiger which they hope to drive back towards the national park.

Salim Luqmaan, a government official in Moradabad, a forested area dotted with villages where most the killings have happened, said: 'People are terrified... They have been asked not to go near forest areas alone. Three hunters have been hired to kill the tigress.'

Angry villagers have accused authorities of not acting quickly enough to capture the animal after the first death was reported at the end of last month.

Moves are underway to have the animal categorised as a 'man-eater' meaning it can be legally killed.

Wildlife activist and member of Parliament Meneka Gandhi has appealed to Uttar Pradesh's government not to shoot the tiger, however.

In a letter to forest officials, she said the animal was only attacking people because it is hungry and would spare humans once it returns to its natural habitat.

She said the Uttar Pradesh government should capture the tiger and release it in the neighboring state of Uttarakhand.

India is home to some 1,700 tigers - half of the world's rapidly shrinking wild tiger population - but has been struggling to halt the big cat's decline in the face of poachers, international smuggling networks and loss of habitat.

The country has seen its tiger population plummet from an estimated 40 000 upon independence in 1947.