Stray tiger shot dead in Wayand

The tiger who gave sleepless nights to the residents of Wayanad for the past several days was shot dead using a tranquilizer Sunday morning. The animal had killed two goats and a cow Saturday morning. The residents who sighted the tiger Sunday morning informed the forest department and they with the help of the task force of Kerala and Karnataka shot the animal by 8.30 am. A tiger which was on the prowl in some areas in the district since the last few weeks was shot dead by Forest Department officials on Sunday.

The presence of the tiger had terrorised people in Naikkatty, Kottamkara and Muthanga areas in the district. It had also killed a few domestic animals including a cow. The tiger was evading capture by moving from one place to another thwarting the efforts of a special task force from Kerala and an expert team from Karnataka Forest Department to catch it with the help of trained elephants. Surveillance cameras were placed at strategic points inside the forest after discussions with a three-member expert team that reached in Wayanad on Saturday night from Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Wildlife Warden S Srekumar said.

The animal was spotted at Thelapparmbu at about 8:15 am. Though the combing team fired tranquiliser at it, the tiger fled the scene. When it was spotted in a nearby coffee plantation later, another shot of tranquiliser was given. Later it was found dead, the official said.

A couple of weeks ago, a 15-year-old tiger, which had strayed into Thirunelly and killed four cows, was trapped in a cage by the forest officials and later released in the forests of Kerala-Karnataka border. The tiger that strayed into Naikkatty, Kottamkara and Muthanga areas seems to be approximately eight-years-old from its pug marks, forest officials had earlier said.