Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government is on the lookout for a tiger, “dead or alive”, after it mauled a 48-year-old woman to death in Wayanad district.
Radha, whose husband is a forest watcher, died Friday morning after she was attacked while harvesting coffee beans in Pancharakolly in Wayanad’s Mananthavady block. Her body was found during a routine search conducted by Kerala Thunderbolts, a commando force under the state police, at 11 am. The victim was the aunt of Minnu Mani, an Indian cricketer hailing from Wayanad. The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 11 lakh for the family.
Speaking to the media, state forest minister A.K. Saseendran said he had instructed the forest department to capture the tiger alive or dead, adding that the incident occurred inside the forest land.
“We are not concerned whether the animal came out to human settlements or the attack occurred inside the forest,” he told reporters.
According to the minister, the forest department will attempt to catch the tiger alive using a cage or a tranquiliser as per the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. If these efforts fail, the animal will be declared a ‘man-eater’, and steps will be taken to shoot and kill it.
The minister has also directed the department to intensify patrolling in the area, and said local support would be crucial for the success of the initiative.
Expressing condolences to Radha’s family, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi said there is an immediate need for sustainable solutions to address the issue.
‘50 forest department staff deployed’
North Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Martin Lowel told ThePrint that 50 forest department personnel had been deployed in the region to capture the animal.
“We have intensified the search and are exploring all options to capture the animal using a tranquiliser or a cage,” he said.
The official added that the tiger was spotted in the same region by a forest watcher in the afternoon.
“Our first priority is to ensure peace and security for the locals. So we will follow the minister’s instructions to capture it alive or dead,” he said.
The incident occurred just days after another tiger caused panic and attacked domestic animals in the district’s Pulpally region. The forest department said it captured that tiger on 16 January, after a 10-day hunt.
Located in northern Kerala, with nearly 50 percent of its land covered by forest, Wayanad has been reeling under human-animal conflict every year. According to data released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in July 2024, Kerala recorded 12 deaths due to elephant attacks and one death from a tiger attack in 2023-24.
The conflicts have sparked protests among local residents. Earlier in the day, agitated local residents blocked O.R. Kelu, minister for the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes, when he visited the victim’s family.
Congress MLA T. Siddique, who represents the Kalpetta assembly constituency, criticised the state government for failing to act on continuous wildlife attacks in the district despite repeated demands from the party. He added that the party would intensify its protests on the issue in coming days.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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