Tiger kills three in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh, June 21 (UPI) -- A Royal Bengal tiger has killed three villagers in southwestern Bangladesh, officials say.

The tiger, one of only 660 left in the Sunderban mangrove forests, crept into the village Friday night, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.

After learning the big cat had killed three people, the villagers poured onto the streets with clubs and machetes to hunt the animal.

The cat was lassoed and strung up before being beaten to death, the newspaper said.

Officials say about 20 Bangladeshis are killed by tigers every year.

Biologists say the number of tiger attacks on people has grown in recent years because the big cat's natural habitat has diminished.