Tiger kills Indonesian man

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RANTO PANJANG, Indonesia, March 13 (UPI) -- A 32-year-old Indonesian man died from what appeared to be a tiger attack as he worked alone at a rubber plantation, his family said.

Relatives found the body of Karman Lubis Tuesday after they went in search of him when he didn't return from work Monday, the Jakarta Globe reported Wednesday.

Lubis was a rubber sap tapper at a plantation in Ranto Panjang village on the outskirts of the Batang Gadis National Park in the Mandailing Utara district of North Sumatra.

Lubis' uncle, Amiruddin Nasution said they found the victim's bloodied body, which showed signs of claw marks and the head detached.

Villagers said they spotted a tiger in the area a few days earlier.

"Several days ago, there were several villagers who did indeed see a roaming tiger, but at the time the tiger did not attack. The wild animal did not attack maybe because there were many villagers," Nasution said.

Some Ranto Panjang villagers have opted to stay home out of fear of the prowling tiger. Villager Darma Lubis said some people have formed a group "to conduct surveillance on the village to anticipate attacks by the tiger."

Darma Lubis said humans have increasingly encroached on the national park, disturbing the natural habitat of the Sumatran tiger.