It ended with dead men, bombed camps, and a sanctuary on fire. In Karnataka’s Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, what looks like a poaching raid has exploded into a full-blown revenge war between villagers and forest guards. Three Tamil-origin dairy farmers entered the forest at night to find lost cattle; or so their families say. The Forest Department says they were armed hunters carrying guns, bullets, and 34 kg of wild meat. One early morning in August, shots rang out. Three men died. Villagers retaliated; burning camps, smashing solar panels, blasting gelatin bombs. Now, guards refuse night patrols. Conservationists warn: this could turn into the next Veerappan zone. The same forests where India’s most feared bandit once ruled are now simmering with distrust. If locals see forest officials as enemies, who protects the tigers? Who stops the poachers? The real battle isn’t against wildlife crime; it’s over who owns the forest, and who gets to live in it. This isn’t just about law and order. It’s about livelihoods, justice, and the fragile line between protection and persecution.