Another villager was killed by a tiger near Shivni village of Sindewahi tehsil in Chandrapur, bordering the famous Tadoba tiger reserves, on Monday evening.

Drupadabai Hatwaru (60), a woman from Shivni village, was attacked by a tiger when she went to the nearby jungle to collect firewood.

The tiger dragged the woman for about half a kilometer inside the forest and left the body there.

RS Yadav, conservator of forests, Chanda (South) circle said: “We have found pugmarks of the animal around the spot where the woman was killed by the tiger.”

Yadav said that the forest department has already issued a warning to the villagers about the tiger attacks.

“They should not go to the jungle alone and avoid staying till evening there,” he insisted. The villager found the body around 5.30 pm in the jungle.

The senior forest officer also admitted that the conflict between humans and animals in the area was on the increase over the past few years, with tigers straying into villages.

“Tigers enter villages in search of cattle. When confronted by human beings, they attack,” the officer further said.

The Shivni village is near to the famous Tadoba tiger reserves - home to more than 40 tigers.

Earlier, the forest department shot dead a full-grown tiger that mauled and killed eight villagers within a month near the area in 2007.

Fear prevailed among the villagers of Shivni on Monday after the incident.

The senior forest official said that the tiger was present in the area and a team of forest personnel has already been deployed there to tackle the situation.

With this, the death toll in big cat attacks in Chandrapur district has gone up to 36 since January 2007.

This is emerging as a major concern for the district administration.