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An endangered tiger died after it was pinned down by a JCB during a 'botched' rescue attempt.
Footage shows the confused male tiger being hit by the industrial machine in a forest near the Corbett Tiger Reserve and Dabka river in India.
It is believed the animal was given an overdose of tranquilliser before the accident.
Forest officials decided to capture the big cat after labourers Bhagwati Devi, 33, and her father-in-law Lakhpat were mauled by a tiger on Thursday. Both died in the attack.
The area around the Dabka river is heavily mined for stone, which puts pressure on the wildlife habitat around the reserve.
It is claimed the quarrying lobby put pressure on forest officials to remove the tiger when panic-stricken labourers threatened to abandon their work after the deaths of their colleagues last week.
As a result of the rushed removal attempt, inexperienced rescuers allegedly overdosed the tiger with tranquilliser darts before accidently squashing it while trying to pick it up for transportation to the Nainital Zoo.
A member of forest department veterinary staff, who did not want to be named, said: 'The animal was probably overdosed. Perhaps they tried to sedate it twice as it did not go down immediately.
'The tiger also suffered spinal injuries, possibly from the JCB. It is difficult to tell if it died due to overdosing or injuries or both.'
Debabrata Swain, member secretary at the National Tiger Conservation Authority, said that a fact-finding team would be sent to Ramnagar on Monday to establish exactly what happened.
He told The Sunday Express: 'We will find out why the standard operating procedure was not followed.
'There is always pressure in a situation of conflict but we cannot use an earthmover to catch a tiger.'