The tiger that had triggered panic among local residents at Cheeral and nearby areas under the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary for the past one month, was captured from a human settlement on Friday morning after a 26-day hunt.
The capture of the male big cat, aged about 12, has come as a relief to the villagers. The predator is believed to have attacked 13 domestic animals, of which nine cows died, in the Cheeral, Pazhur and Mukkuthikunnu areas under the Muthanga forest range of the sanctuary in a month.
Also read: Free-roaming big cats maul farmers’ livelihood
A resident of the sanctuary
A forest team, led by Wildlife Warden Abdul Assis, had set up four cages at different parts of the area and the animal walked into the trap set up at Pazhur around 4.30 a.m. on Friday. The tiger was shifted to the animal hospice and palliative care unit for big cats at Sulthan Bathery on the directive of Mr. Assis.
The predator was examined by a team of veterinary experts, and it was found that it had lost its canine teeth, Mr. Assis told The Hindu. The animal was identified as WW 43, a resident of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, home to more than 90 tigers, including cubs.
Compensation soon
The big cat was first sighted in 2016 in the sanctuary and later it was sighted on many occasions in different parts of the forest area, he added. Forest Minister A. K. Saseendran lauded the efforts of the Forest department personnel, including the members of the Rapid Response Team, and the public in the capture of the animal. The remaining compensation to the farmers for their loss in the tiger attack would be disbursed in a time bound manner, Mr. Saseendran said.
