Kalpetta: With a heat wave gripping the jungle, more tigers have been straying into farmlands in search of water and while following prey, putting pressure on the forest department.

For the past four days, a forest department team under the Irulam Forest Station limits has been conducting surveillance in the Orappu and Arimula areas near Meenangadi, in search of a tiger that has been spreading fear in the locality. Though pugmarks of the animal were found at several places, the big cat has remained elusive, refusing to emerge from the dense green cover.

“A forest official, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Onmanorama that such straying of carnivorous animals into farmlands in pursuit of prey is common during the peak of summer.

During this season, prey species, including deer, wild boar, and other animals, move into farmlands in search of fodder and water. Naturally, the presence of big cats increases in farmlands bordering forests, he said. We are trying to ease people’s anxieties with our presence. If the animal attacks domestic animals, we hope its movements will be captured on our cameras, helping us identify it, he added.”

Reassuring the public, the South Wayanad Forest Division said in a press statement that camera traps had been installed in areas where the tiger’s presence was suspected, and pugmarks were found, but no images have been captured so far.

However, the forest department team continues ground inspections and efforts to trace the animal, though no fresh signs of its presence have been found, the statement said. The department has also intensified night patrolling in the area and conducted mike announcements advising the public to remain indoors after dusk.

Drones were also pressed into service to track the animal’s movements, but these efforts, too, proved futile.

The spot inspection was led by Irulam Forest Station Range Officer KP Abdul Gafoor, Kalpetta Forest Division Rapid Response Team Deputy Range Officer PK Ranjith, and Meenangadi Police Station Inspector MA Santhosh, among others, who participated in the mission.