This is the horrifying moment savage locals brutally attack a wild tiger seen swimming through a river near a village in India.

Footage shows the cruel mob lobbing a barrage of large stones and bricks at the Bengal tigress that was passing through Kaliabor town in Assam state on November 20.

The hapless creature plunged into a river to escape, but the merciless locals continued pelting it with rocks. The barbaric attack left the tigress brain damaged and blind in one eye, forest officials said.

Local media reported that the injured animal was found near a railway bridge. It was taken to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near the Kaziranga National Park.

CWRC vet Dr Bhaskar Choudhury said: 'It looks like the left eye has been completely damaged. Aside from that, it also sustained head and internal injuries. There is no possibility of it returning to the wild.'

Assam police said nine people have been arrested over the attack.

A police spokesman said: 'A case was registered based on a first incident report lodged by a forest ranger who had also shared some videos. We arrested nine individuals seen in the videos. Actions will be taken against them according to law.'

Bengal tigers are found in the forests of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. With some 2,000 to 2,500 of them believed to be remaining in the wild, they are considered an endangered subspecies under the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List.

The largest threats to their population are poaching and human encroachment on their natural habitats.