Lakhimpur (Uttar Pradesh), Jan 2 (IANS): In a third attack in the past one week, a 55-year-old farmer was injured by a tiger in Kaanp Tanda village near the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve on Wednesday.

The farmer received injuries on his hands and right leg and was admitted to a community health centre in Bheera. His condition is said to be stable.

The victim, Paragu Bihari, a resident of Kaamp Tanda village, was walking towards his field when a tiger suddenly appeared in front of him from a cane field and pounced on him. Paragu immediately screamed for help and a few villagers working nearby rushed to rescue him.

This is the third such incident of tiger attack in the past one week in the area. One person was killed and three others were injured in a single day in a tiger attack.

According to forest department sources, the population of tiger in the area is around 100 and the decreasing forest cover has led to an increase in man-animal conflict.

"Lack of food in the forest area brings the big cat towards human habitation. Our past records also show that tiger attacks increase in the winter season. Tigers are known to take shelter inside sugarcane fields for months and hunt wild boars and blue-bulls (nilgai) with much ease. We have already alerted all the outlining villages to refrain from entering the forest area and move in groups, especially near sugarcane fields," said divisional forest officer Anil Patel.

The forest department has also offered to relocate the villagers in Kaamp Tanda village to outside the forest area with a decent compensation but they are yet to agree to the proposal.