Guwahati: Unfortunate, but true, a Royal Bengal tigress was gunned down in Nagaland and as per National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), there is no record of the animal’s sighting in the state ever before.

The tigress was hunted down in Medziphema village, some 30 km away from the state’s commercial hub Dimapur, on Monday.

The locals were forced to kill the endangered animal after it started killing livestock.

A group of over 70 armed youth reportedly  entered a nearby jungle to “scare” and “chase” it away.

“During the search, one of them spotted the tigress but before he could raise an alarm, the animal pounced upon him, injuring him grievously. Soon, some in the group fired shots targeting the animal, killing it on the spot,” an Army colonel is quoted in New Indian Express.

Surprisingly, when the forest officials, as well as the police went to the site to retrieve the carcass, the locals put up a resistance, refusing to part with it citing customary belief of bravery and honour and the prestige of the village attached to the feat.

Several hours later, they relented following the intervention of senior officials of the administration, who enlightened them of the legal implications of hunting the endangered animal.

A post-mortem report is awaited.