Wayanad: A 10-year-old tiger that fell in a trap laid by the forest department in the Panavally village of the Tirunelli panchayat was released into the interiors of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary Saturday.
The tiger that had killed several cattle in the village in the last few weeks had also attacked passengers of an auto-rickshaw and a bike the other day.
The forest department had set a trap on June 16 after locals protested following the killing of a third cow allegedly by the same tiger.
A veterinary team of the forest department examined the animal on Saturday and administered first aid. The animal was found to be healthy despite losing a tooth.
North Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer Martin Lowell, Begur Range Officer K Rakesh, Deputy Range Officers Jayesh Joseph, and Abdul Gafoor among others were part of the team that led the operations.
KIFA protests
Meanwhile, a meeting of the Kerala Independent Farmers’ Association (KIFA) held here on Saturday protested the release of the tiger in haste.
The association fears the animal would return to human habitats. “Such acts without proper discussions would cause a threat to life for farmers as well as cattle in the coming days,” said KIFA president MK Karunakaran.
Carcass of female tiger found
In a separate incident, the carcass of a tigress was found in the Sulthan Bathery range of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday. The one-year-old animal was killed during a fight between tigers and it was partially eaten, said forest officials. The body was buried after an inquest.
