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Forest section officials person resumed efforts to recapture a five-year-old tiger that has been straying into quality habitations adjacent Vandiperiyar.
The tiger was antecedently captured successful Munnar and released into the heavy forests of the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) successful Thekkady connected April 2, 2026.
According to officials, the tiger has been camping connected the beverage plantations of Vandiperiyar since the past week of April, posing a menace to plantation workers. The tiger initially stayed into the Thankamala country earlier retreating concisely to the forest. It returned to the Granby country connected May 14, roamed done Sathram and Vallakkadavu, and has present moved from the Hillash country of the Arnakkal property into adjacent Arnakkal.
Killed cattle
Plantation workers reported that the carnal had killed 7 heads of cattle implicit the past 2 weeks. Due to the tiger’s presence, residents are acrophobic to spell to enactment oregon nonstop their children to school.
Kottayam Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Prabhul Agarwal stated that the section had acceptable up 3 cages and 20 camera traps to show the large cat’s movements.
“The carnal is camping connected an abandoned beverage plantation, occasionally moving into the Ranni wood country earlier returning to quality habitations,” Mr. Agarwal said. “The abandoned plantation is heavy overgrown, which is the large hurdle successful locating the animal.”
Mr. Agarwal added that the wood unit were conducting round-the-clock patrolling and utilizing VHF antennas to way the tiger.
Abandoned estates
“Abandoned estates are a large contented due to the fact that they supply screen for chaotic animals. If the undergrowth is cleared, the animals won’t enactment connected the plantations. We person already discussed the contented with the District Collector,” the DFO said.
Officials are besides deploying drones to way the tiger, though dense rainfall and misty upwind are causing terrible challenges.
Sources revealed that erstwhile the steadfast tiger was archetypal captured successful Munnar, it had already begun targeting cattle. Officials noted that portion it was antithetic for steadfast tigers to hunt livestock, erstwhile they developed a wont of preying connected cattle, they seldom stopped.
