Forest Department: Tiger that killed cattle in Wayanad captured | Latest news India

The tiger that had been terrorizing residents of Kenichira in Wayanad district for the past few days was captured on Sunday evening when it entered one of the cages set up by the forest department.

Earlier in the day, the forest department issued an order to tranquilize and capture the tiger.

The forest department had set up two cages filled with bait in the area in an attempt to capture the tiger.

“In the last two days, the tiger has killed three cattle from two houses in our area. The first murder was reported on Saturday around 10:30 p.m. in a family’s stable. Then on Sunday around 4 a.m., the tiger returned to the area and killed two more cows from another resident’s shed. This time, the house owner also saw the tiger escaping from the enclosure,” said Mercy Sabu, ward member of Poothadi panchayat.

“On Sunday morning, we all started blocking the main road with the carcass of the cow left behind by the tiger. We all demanded that the tiger be captured immediately and evicted from the area. We cannot live in fear,” she said.

Pressure from residents and neighborhood members resulted in the forest department announcing compensation for ₹30,000 per cow and issuance of an order from the chief forest officer for its capture.

“Members of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) searched the area extensively till evening in search of the tiger. But he was not found as heavy rains hampered search operations,” the ward member said.

Kenichira lies within the Poothadi panchayat limits and is home to many coffee plantations, which can provide shelter to wild animals like tigers.

Situated close to the forest range, the panchayat also frequently witnesses intrusions of wild animals.

Human-animal conflict, which has claimed the lives of several people and countless domestic animals this year, is one of the pressing issues in Wayanad district.