Wayanad: The Amarakkuni tigress, previously housed at the Animal Hospice and Palliative Care Unit in Kuppadi, was transported to the Thiruvananthapuram Zoological Park on Sunday for further treatment and enhanced veterinary care. The forest department decided to relocate two tigers from the centre under the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary to make room for ageing and ailing entrants.

The tigress, which was moved to Thiruvananthapuram, was originally captured in Amarakkuni near Pulppalli after spreading terror in the agrarian villages by preying on goats in farmers' stables.

The tigress, which had lost its canine teeth and was unable to hunt down animals in the wild, had been targeting only goats in the stables when it was trapped in a cage. The tigress was undergoing treatment as it was unfit for transit with varied ailments. 

According to South Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ajit K. Raman, who is overseeing the relocation, the Chief Wildlife Warden had already approved the transfer.

"The tigress will be transported in a specially designed Animal Ambulance (truck) operated by the Rapid Response Team (RRT) under the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary," said Raman.

The transportation team departed at 6 pm on Sunday, making scheduled nursing stops at Areekode, Perinthalmanna, Thrissur, MC Road, Kottayam, and finally reaching Thiruvananthapuram by Monday morning. Night travel was chosen to avoid traffic congestion and minimize stress on the animal. Additionally, daytime temperatures would have been higher, making the journey more challenging.

The Animal Ambulance is being escorted by Dr Ajesh Mohandas, Assistant Forest Veterinary Officer of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, along with a team led by Chedelath Range Forest Officer Rajeev Kumar. 

"Once the animal reaches Thiruvananthapuram and settles down after administering state-of-the-art treatment modules, we will shift the second tiger from the Animal Hospices", said Ajit K Raman.