KALPETTA: A 36-year-old man was killed in a tiger attack and his half-eaten body was found near a forest area in Vakeri in Wayanad on Saturday. Prajeesh Kuttappan Marottiparambil was reportedly attacked by the tiger when he went to collect grass to feed his cattle on Saturday morning.
As he did not return even after several hours, his brother went searching for him and found Prajeesh’s body in a nearby plantation, which is close to the forest. The tiger attack triggered protests by residents who demanded authorities take steps to kill the man-eater animal.
“The forest department officials are monitoring the area. As per the primary observation, Prajeesh was killed in a tiger attack. More details regarding his death can be ascertained only after postmortem. Tracking experts are checking the presence of the tiger in the area. We have sent a report to the higher authorities asking for permission to catch the tiger,” said Shajna A, South Wayanad divisional forest officer.
Every morning, Prajeesh goes to the nearest plantation, which is close to the forest, to collect grass for his cattle. “Prajeesh is unmarried and lives with his ailing mother and elder brother. The family primarily depends on agriculture and dairy farming.
The local residents are stressed out due to the repeated wild animal attacks in the area. Six years ago, a 34-year-old farmer, Rajeesh, was killed in a jumbo attack at the same location where the tiger attack took place,” said Mini Prakashan, Poothadi panchayat president.
Local residents, relatives stage protest
“In protest against the repeated wild animal attacks, the residents and relatives of Prajeesh staged an agitation and prevented forest and police officials from inspecting the body initially,” the panchayat president said. After a meeting with DFO Shajna and panchayat officials, the local residents allowed the authorities to proceed with the inquest procedures.
The body was shifted to the Sultan Bathery Taluk Hospital. However, Prajeesh’s relatives said the body would be released from the hospital only after getting an order to kill the tiger. The residents also demanded the speedy release of the compensation fund of Rs 10lakh to the family of the deceased and a government job for one of the family members.
The DFO promised that the forest department would install surveillance cameras in the area. The officer also said a detailed report will be sent to the chief wildlife warden by including the demands of the residents. Prajeesh’s body was found at the same spot where a tiger had attacked a plantation worker two months ago. The worker, however, managed to escape.
In January, a farmer, Thomas Pallipurath, 50, of Vellaramkunnu near Puthussery in North Wayanad forest division, died after being attacked by a tiger. He died of cardiac arrest while being shifted to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.