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A tiger is believed to have attacked and wounded a logger before dragging him away into the forest, locals fear. Logger Mikhail Shabaldin, 41, was sitting on the toilet while at work in a remote Russian village before vanishing. Tiger footprints...
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A tiger is believed to have attacked and wounded a logger before dragging him away into the forest, locals fear.
Logger Mikhail Shabaldin, 41, was sitting on the toilet while at work in a remote Russian village before vanishing.
Tiger footprints were found at the scene in Khabarovsk, the eastern region which borders China.
A terrifying video of Mikhail's shocked colleague reacting to pieces of toilet paper and even the missing man's bloodied clothes and innards has led locals to fear for the logger's fate.
Majestic amur tigers - the world's largest felines - prey wildlife and humans alike in Russia, China and North Korea.
Only 700 remain in the wild, although its numbers are recovering after conservation efforts by the Russian and Chinese governments.
Shabaldin is believed to have been attacked as he left his temporary accommodation near a logging site in Khabarovsk region to go to the toilet at night.
A search is underway but locals admit there is little prospect of finding the logger alive.
One theory is that a hungry or wounded Amur tigress attacked the man to feed her cubs, but a full investigation is now underway.
Shabaldin was on a 15-day logging shift when he was attacked.
His wife Elena has been informed about the horrific incident.
Mikhail's friend was certain about the poor man's fate.
He said: "He was killed by a tiger, this is a fact. His body has not been found yet."
Many loggers have said they are "afraid of meeting a predator" yet do not carry guns for protection.
The friend added: "Tigers are a frequent sight there. Everyone knows about this."
Amur Tiger Centre director Sergey Aramilev said tigers generally steer clear of their human co-habitants.
He explained: "It is too early to say what exactly happened to the missing person.
"A group has left for the scene and is investigating the circumstances of the incident.
"Usually, tigers try to bypass human habitats.
"Although the predator is the king of the taiga, it is afraid of 'two-legged animals'.
"Hunger, provocation, a weakened state through illness or injury might force a beast to attack a human.
"A wild beast that attacked a human is usually removed from the wild.
"Then the experts make a further decision regarding the fate of the animal."
