Tiger caught in trap in Wayanad

March 13, 2024 08:35 pm | Updated 08:54 pm IST - KALPETTA

A tiger that caused panic among residents of the Appad, Pullumala, and Mylampadi areas in Meenangadi grama panchayat, under the South Wayanad Forest Division, was captured from a human settlement on Tuesday night.

The big cat, aged about seven years, had triggered panic among the people for the past 10 days after it strayed into the area and reportedly killed three domestic animals. The tiger’s capture has come as a relief to the local residents. The animal is identified as WYS-07, a resident of the South Wayanad Forest Division.

A forest team, led by Chethalayath range officer Abdul Samad, set up a trap at Pampumkolly, near Mylambadi, and the animal was caught in it around 10 p.m. on Tuesday .

The officials had also installed eight surveillance cameras at two sites to monitor its movements.

The predator was shifted to the animal hospice and palliative care unit for big cats at Sulthan Bathery. It would be examined by a team of veterinary experts led by veterinary surgeon Ajesh Mohandas.

The animal is not fit to be released into the wild as it has lost all of its canine teeth, Forest department sources said. No external injuries were found on it, but the health condition of the animal could be ascertained only after a 24-hour medical observation, the sources said.

The loss of its canine teeth might have forced the tiger to enter human habitation for easy prey, the sources said.