New Delhi, India (CNN) A last-ditch attempt to save a "man-eating" tigress is underway in India, following a decision by the country's Supreme Court to grant forest rangers permission to kill the endangered animal in the western state of Maharashtra.

The tigress, known as T1, is believed to be responsible for the deaths of 13 people since January 2016 in the state's eastern Yavatmal district. Three were killed in August alone. In one particularly grisly case, as much as 60% of the victim's body had been consumed by the tigress, according to official records.

under the country's India's tiger population is strictly protected and any attempt to kill one of the animals requires approval from authoritiesunder the country's Wildlife Protection Act

Conservationists, though, had questioned the evidence linking the animal to attacks on humans, forcing the case to the Supreme Court.

In Tuesday's ruling, the court sided with local authorities in allowing forest rangers to shoot the tiger if they fail to capture it, striking a blow to activists and campaigners battling to save the tigress.

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