NILGIRIS: Hair samples collected from the site where a tribal man was killed have confirmed that the fatal attack in the Nilgiris was carried out by a tiger. Pushtahl Kuttan (55), was found dead on Tuesday. Forest department officials had initially said it was unclear whether the attack was by a tiger or a leopard.
Hair samples were collected from the spot and sent to molecular biodiversity lab at the Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam for analysis.
Officials said the test results confirmed the presence of tiger hair at the location. Further assessment is under way to determine whether the same tiger was involved in the death of another tribal man on March 26, 2025.
As a precaution, the forest department has installed 10 camera traps in the area and deployed a thermal drone for surveillance. No fresh sighting has been reported so far.
A committee has also been constituted in line with the SOP issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The panel will recommend further measures, including the possible installation of cages and additional camera traps.