Elusive tiger attacks another forest official in Kerala’s Wayanad

The elusive tiger which triggered panic in Pulpally in Wayanad district of north Kerala attacked another forest guard on Tuesday while officials were trying to dart the big cat. The tiger, however, escaped the dragnet yet again.

Last Saturday, a forest ranger T Sasikumar was attacked by the tiger while he was searching for it in a private estate after it killed three domestic animals. Wayanad forest divisional officer B Ranjith Kumar said hectic efforts are on to trap the animal which strayed into human habitat from the nearby Bandipur tiger reserve.

Earlier forest officials had brought urine of a female tigress from Mysuru Zoo and sprayed it near the trap to attract the animal and cage it. But it failed to fall into the “honey trap”. For the last two days, at least 70 forest officials and local people have beenpressed into service to locate the male tiger.

On Tuesday it was located with the help of a drone and officials fired darting shots but it attacked a forest guard and got away. Local people have been warned not to step out of their houses till the animal was trapped. Local people say straying of a tiger into human habitat has become routine these days.

Two months back another tiger was trapped in the district after it killed many domestic animals and tried to attack human beings. The injured big cat is now undergoing treatment. Wild animals straying into human habitat is regular in Wayanad these days, local people blame the rising tiger population for this. In June a tribal youth was killed and his half-eaten body was recovered later. A woman two-wheeler rider had a narrow escape in August after it chased her.

The district also boasts of a wildlife sanctuary which is a favourite habitat of elephants and tigers. According to the last wildlife census the Wayanad wildlife sanctuary spread over 344 sq km is home to 80 tigers. The district has 60 per cent forest cover and it is a good tourist destination also. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi represents it in the Lok Sabha.