Wayanad: At last the man-eater tiger of Koodallur, Vakery near Sulthan Bathery, has walked into the trap laid by the forest department, by noon on Monday.
The animal was caged on the 10th day of the killing and partially eating Marottiparambil Prajeesh, a dairy farmer of Koodallur. The Forest department has multiple traps laid at various spots where the pug marks of the animal were found. The tiger was trapped in the cage which was laid in a coffee plantation at Kolanikavala near the spot where the animal had killed the farmer on December 9. Watering
The veterinary team headed by Dr Arun Zachariyah along with forest veterinarians is examining the animal. The animal would be shifted to the animal hospice near the office of the Wildlife Warden at Sulthan Bathery as soon as possible, according to sources in the department.
Protest by local people Meanwhile, more and more agrarian crowds are gathering near the spot blocking the road demanding the killing of the animal rather than shifting it to the animal hospice. Furious protestors were seen shouting that the animal as well as the forest officials would not be allowed to move out of the village without keeping the promises of the government that the animal would be killed. The protestors also demanded the presence of MLA IC Balakrishnan in the talks with the forest department officials.
A large contingent of police headed by Sulthan Bathery DySP Abdul Shareef, have cordoned the area apart from the forest department's Rapid Response Team (RRT). More police personnel from the Armed Reserve Camp at Kalpetta also are on the way given the growing fury of the public to avoid any untoward incidents.
The forest department had identified the problem tiger as WWL 45, a male tiger, aged 13, listed in the department database as an inmate of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in the last census. Identifying the animal helped the team to streamline strategies in tune with the National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines.
Wayanad Wildlife Warden Dinesh Kumar and South Wayanad DFO Shajna Karim also are monitoring the ground-level operations and preparations to shift the animal to the animal hospice.
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