Sulthan Bathery (Wayanad): Less than a week after the successful capture of the man-eating tiger in the area, anxiety has gripped the residents of Vakeri once again following the discovery of a dead calf in the cattle shed, coupled with the sighting of pug marks nearby.
Doubt arose after an eight-month-old calf belonging to Njarakkattil Surendran was found killed in the shed on Saturday night. Forest guards reached the spot and the pug marks of the animal were verified by the department officials.
It was on December 9, Thottathil Prajeesh (36), a dairy farmer, was discovered killed and partially eaten by the man-eating tiger of Koodallur. He went to the paddy field in the afternoon to collect grass for the cattle. However, when he failed to return by evening, his relatives initiated a search, leading to the discovery of his partially eaten body at Vakeri.
The animal was trapped in a cage set at a coffee plantation at Kolanikavala, on the 10th day after the death of Prajeesh.
It was only a week ago, a cow tied in a stable was killed by a tiger in Njattadi. The incursion of wildlife into human habitations here is a regular occurrence and back-to-back tiger attacks are unprecedented.
As many as 162 churches under the Mananthavady Diocese in Wayanad are set to break the tradition and will not hold midnight mass on Christmas Eve due to the prevailing wildlife threat. They will wrap up the Christmas mass before midnight, said Bishop Jose Porunnedam of the Diocese through a circular.
