Wayanad: Residents of Wayanad's Cheeral village have begun an indefinite protest in front of Thottamoola Forest Station at Pazhoor on Tuesday after an aged tiger killed two cows and injured another last night.
The tiger, identified as a 10-year-old male, has been prowling residential areas of Cheeral and preying on cows since September 25. To date, it has killed or maimed 13 cows in the past 30 days.
Around 9 pm on Monday, the tiger attacked the cow of Rajagopalan Ayilakkad at Kudukki Junction in Cheeral. The family managed to save the life of the cow but the attack angered the residents because it came a few hours after they had passed a six-point resolution, including one to shoot and kill the tiger.
Soon after the attack at Rajagopalan's house, the residents marched to the ThottamoolaForest Station and raised angry slogans against the department and the government till late into the night.
But even as they were protesting, the tiger attacked and killed the cows of Mangattu Asma and her brother Mangattu Ibrahim, their houses being 100m and 50m from the Forest Station at Pazhoor. The tiger half-ate the pregnant cow of Ibrahim.
However, forest officials said Ibrahim's cowshed was sitting on forest land, far from his house, and he may not get compensation.
During the British rule and in the initial years of the Independent India, Divisional Forest Officers had the right to lease forest land for farming for a nominal fee of Re 1 or 50 paisa. Over the years, the leased plots have changed hands, multiple times, without legal sanctity. In 2002, the government decided to take back the leased forest land, but few have returned, the officials said. Ibrahim built the cowshed on the leased open field to squat on the forest land, they said. And so, he may not get the compensation from the department, they said.
"At least, he could have properly covered the shed to protect the life of the cow. As long as cowsheds are open, the tiger will get easy food," said a forest official.
The tiger had been hungry for at least one week. On October 22, it made a failed attempt to lift the cow of Scaria of Edakudukki. In the early hours of October 14, it attacked the cows of Jaisy P G and Velayudhan at Mundakolly. Jaisy's cow was eight-month pregnant.
"In the past 30 days, the tiger has attacked 13 cows in our village. That is, it has snatched the livelihood of 13 families," said M A Suresh, the convenor of the protest committee.
He alleged the forest officials are not sincere in their efforts to nab the tiger. They search for the tiger during the daytime but the animal comes out at night, he said. "Now that the tiger has had its fill yesterday night, it may lie low for the next three or four days," he said.
The three attacks of the tiger Monday night came hours after the residents held a special grama sabha and decided to go on an indefinite strike till the big cat was caught. The grama sabha also decided to take up the matter with the chief minister on Wednesday.
Residents of wards number seven to 14 (Cherumadu, Pazhoor, Mundakolly, East Cheeral, Nambiarkunnu, Cheeral, Kallinkara and Thazhathoor) met for the special grama sabha at Cheeral Aided UP School in the evening.
The meeting was presided over by panchayat president Sheela Punchavayal and inaugurated by Sulthan Bathery MLA I C Balakrishnan.
Sulthan Bathery block panchayat president Assainar presented the motion, which was passed unanimously.
The demands of the residents are:
1. Shoot and kill the tiger creating terror in human habitation.
2. The government should revise the compensation given to farmers who have lost their animals to wild animal attacks.
3. Provide special financial assistance to bolster and cover up the cowsheds.
4. Install more streetlights in these areas.
5. Operationalise solar fences and trenches without delay.
6. Draw up a plan to demarcate the forest and the human habitation.
The leaders of the all-party protest committee, accompanied by the MLA, will present these demands to the chief minister at 11 am on Tuesday. "We will also take up the tiger attacks in Meenangadi grama panchayat with the chief minister," said Suresh, convenor of the committee.
He said a hut will be erected near the Thottamoola Forest Station to house the protesters for the round-the-clock protest.
On October 11, the residents of Cheeral village observed a hartal and took out a massive march to the Forest Office protesting against the government for not catching the tiger.
After every attack, residents hold talks with the forest officials.
The officials have tried every trick in the book but the tiger has been elusive.
Forest range officer Sunil Kumar had said the tiger would take their bait only if farmers covered up their cowsheds and denied easy prey to the big old cat.
He said open cowsheds allow aged tigers and leopards to get habituated to cattle lifting.
In Monday's resolution, the residents demanded money from the government to protect their cowsheds. Most of the farmers are too poor to invest more in cowsheds.
