The Forest Department faced a persistent challenge with elusive tigers causing havoc among the farmers residing in the jungle communities of Wayanad. After days of tireless effort, the Forest Department successfully captured one of these elusive tigers on Monday.
This tiger was apprehended in a strategically placed trap near Sulthan Bathery at Kolarattkunnu, Moolamkavu, in the early hours of the morning. Forest officials had maintained a round-the-clock vigilance for three days since setting up the cage. The tiger was lured into the trap by a goat used as bait and was captured at 3 am. Following this, the field staff immediately alerted higher officials and transported the animal to the forest headquarters near Sulthan Bathery.
The next steps hinge on the evaluation by veterinary experts. If the tiger is deemed healthy, it will be released back into the wild. However, if it is injured, the animal will be cared for in the animal palliative care unit at Sulthan Bathery.
Meanwhile, another tiger remains at large, despite efforts to capture it with a cage set up at Panavalli near Tirunelli in the North Wayanad Forest division.
The Forest Department in Wayanad has been grappling with an escalating human-animal conflict in the district’s border villages. In recent days, hamlets like Panavally in the North Wayanad Forest Division near Mananthavadi, as well as Kolorottukunnu and Moolankavu under the Suthan Bathery range of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, have become hotspots for the Forest Department, with increasing incidents of cattle-lifting and tiger raids.
Residents have expressed their frustration with the department’s inability to capture these troublesome tigers and prevent further conflicts. In response to this challenge, a forest team, led by Begur Range Officer K Ragesh and Periya Range Officer Remya Raghavan, established tiger traps at Panavalli near Tirunelli.
North Wayanad DFO Martin Lowell explained that aging tigers, unable to find prey in the forest, have resorted to raiding villages for easy targets like calves, cows, and other grazing cattle. This complex issue continues to demand the Forest Department’s utmost attention and expertise.
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