Residents of Ponmudikkotta and nearby areas on the slopes of the Ambukuthy hill under the South Wayanad forest division blocked vehicular traffic on the Ambalavayal-Sulthan Bathery Highway at Ayiramkolly on Tuesday morning, seeking protection from recurring wild animal attacks.
Four predators, including two tiger cubs and two leopards, had been on the prowl in human-inhabited areas in Ponmudikkotta, Edakkal, Kuppakkolly, Govindamoola and Malavayalal for the past 76 days but they had not yet been captured owing to the apathy of the forest officials, P.K. Unni, convener of the Ponmudikkotta action council, said.
Fourteen heads of domestic animals were killed in areas such as Kolagappara, Mattappara, Ayiramkolly, Ponmudikkotta and Malika in wildlife attacks in 76 days, Mr. Unni said. Many residents in the area sighted the leopards and the tiger cubs in the Ponmudikkootta area, Mr. Unni said.
The mother tigress was captured from Ponmudikkotta three months ago after it allegedly killed many domestic animals. The roaring of the cubs in search of their mother could be heard in the night in the area since then, Mr. Unni said. But the cubs had now grown and their movements in human habitations provided sleepless nights to villagers, he said.
Many farmers could not complete harvest of coffee and pepper and dairy farmers could not move freely in the morning to sell milk due to the presence of the animals. Many residents in the area were daily-wage workers and they could not go out due to the panic triggered by the animals, he added.
Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran promised a few weeks ago that steps would be taken to capture the animals. But the officials could not capture them. If the officials failed to capture the animals in a time-bound manner, the public would intensify the agitations, Mr. Unni said.
Cages set up
However, the Forest department officials said they had set up three cages to capture the animals and also installed surveillance cameras to watch the movements of the predators. Patrolling was also intensified in the area.
