NILGIRIS: A male tiger, aged about eight to 10 years, which allegedly killed two persons at Lauriston in O-Valley town panchayat near Gudalur in the Nilgiris district, has been identified as a man-eater. To capture the big cat, the forest department has placed six cages with live bait along possible routes of the animal move, including near the locations where the two incidents occurred.
Gudalur Forest Division officials are on high alert to prevent further escalation of the human-tiger conflict. They are closely tracking the animal and have requested estate authorities to suspend work in areas where there is a high likelihood of tiger movement. Two teams are tracking the tiger on the ground, while two others are monitoring its movements using drones.
According to Gudalur District Forest Officer P Devaraj, the department concluded that the tiger is a man-eater after observing that it had consumed parts of the body of K Ravikumar, whose body was recovered around 2 pm on Friday, about 200m from his house. This was similar to the first incident on August 9, in which the body parts of M Balakrishnan (58) of Field 4, Lauriston Estate, were found. The official also said he strongly believes that the same tiger that attacked Balakrishnan was responsible for Ravikumar’s death, as the pugmarks collected near the bodies in both incidents were similar.
Two seven-member teams are tracking the tiger by following its pugmarks and examining scat and other evidence. “Each team is equipped with one gun and protective gear. If the animal charges at them and a situation arises where there is an imminent threat to their lives, it may have to be gunned down,” sources in the forest department said.
Devaraj said officials were yet to assess the health condition of the tiger using camera-trap images and that a proper assessment would be possible only after the animal is examined by a veterinarian. “We will decide whether to shift the animal to Vandalur Zoo or send it for treatment to the Wildlife Transit and Treatment Centre (WTTC) in Pethikuttai, Sirumugai, only after obtaining permission from Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra,” Devaraj said.
“As part of preventing further escalation of the human-tiger conflict, we have asked the estate authorities not to send workers to the estate for a few more days. Our staff are also advising local residents not to venture out of their houses at night,” he added.