A tiger that had attacked a forest watcher at Anapanthi, near Pulpally, in the district on Sunday morning was captured from the area by the Forest and Wildlife Department officials early Monday.
The animal had triggered panic among the villagers in the Cheeyambam, Anapanthi and Vandi Kadavu areas for the past many weeks after the animal killed several domestic animals. The forest personnel had laid two traps in a piece of forest near the Anathavalam tribal settlement under the Chethalayath range of forests in the South Wayanad forest division.
The team, led by South Wayanad forest divisional officer P, Ranjith Kumar and Chethalayath Forest Range Officer R. Ratheesan , put the remains of the pig that had been killed by the tiger two days ago in the cage as bait. The animal walked into the trap around 5.30 a.m.
The predator was shifted with the cage to the office of the Warden of WWS,at Sulthan Bathery nearly 25 km away.
Later, it will be taken to the Thiruvananthapuram zoo on Monday evening after a team of veterinary experts led by Arun Zachariah, Forest Veterinary surgeon examined the animal and declared it to be healthy.
Mr. Ranjith Kumar told The Hindu that a team of veterinary experts and forest officials would escort the 13-year-old tiger in separate vehicles during the journey.
He said the animal had lost its canine tooth, sustained injuries on its claw and left eye that might have led the animal to hunt cattle in the villages adjacent to the Wayanad sanctuary. It was suspected that the injuries occurred during a territorial fight with another big cat, he added.
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