: Officials of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) on Saturday intensified efforts to trap a tiger that had reportedly killed a youth of the Kurichiyad Kattunayakka tribal settlement under the Noolpuzha grama panchayat on Thursday.
The remote settlement inside the Kurichiyad range of forest under the WWS is nearly 8 km from the nearest human habitation, Chethalayam.
Baburaj, a tribal youth of the settlement, was reportedly killed in a tiger attack on Thursday.
This was the second such incident under the grama panchayat limit within a year. Bhaskaran, a farmer at Mukkuthikkunnu in Puthoorkolly, was killed in a tiger attack on February 9.
Later, the tiger was shot dead after it killed a woman in Tamil Nadu.
S. Mohanan Pillai, warden, WWS, told The Hindu that they had set one cage with live bait to trap the tiger. Moreover 7 cameras had been installed in different parts of the area to monitor the movement of the tiger.
The department had provided free ration to 40 tribal families of the settlement and asked them to desist from going into the forest.
Patrolling by a Rapid Protection Force team was also intensified in the area.
If necessary, we will install four more surveillance cameras and traps to trap the carnivores, Mr. Pillai added. — Staff Reporter
