The tiger which killed two people and injured another in the past week remained elusive even as teams of the Kerala and Tamil Nadu Forest Departments combed the forests on Tuesday to capture or cull it.
The 290 families residing in the Chetyalthur settlement inside the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) were in fear as the tiger was reportedly in the forest areas near the village.
The Mudumalai and Bandipur tiger reserves in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were contiguous with the forests here.
“The tiger had a shoulder injury.
“We suspect the animal to be in the Benna forest reserve region on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. There was no sighting on Tuesday, P. Dhaneshkumar, Divisional Forest Officer, South Wayanad, said. Mr. Dhaneshkumar was coordinating the search operation.
Special Task Force
A special task force with 70 forest personnel and a veterinary doctor were carrying out the combing now.
As many as 80 personnel drawn from various offices in Kannur and Kozhikode districts would join them on Wednesday, sources said.
“The areas bordering the Benna forest were covered on the day.
Special arrangements have been made at the Chetyalthur settlement.
As many as 20 officials are on round-the-clock guard duty at the hamlet,” Mr. Dhaneshkumar said.
The department had also arranged vehicles to meet the transportation needs of the people of the hamlet, Mr. Dhaneshkumar said.
Task force continues combing operations
80 more personnel to join search today
