KALPETTA: A day after the half-eaten body of a man killed in a tiger attack was found near the forests in Vakeri, Wayanad, the chief wildlife warden on Sunday issued an order to kill the man-eater.
“Maximum effort should be made to either cage or tranquillize the animal as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) norms. If the animal cannot be captured or tranquillized, and it is established as a man-eater, the same animal shall be killed under section 11 (1)(a) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 with strict adherence to the NTCA norms,” the order, issued by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden D Jayaprasad, stated.
The entire operation should be carried out under the supervision of the chief conservator of forests (northern circle) and it should be photographed and videographed. A detailed report should be submitted, the order stated further.
Prajeesh Kuttappan Marottiparambil, 36, had gone to gather grass to feed his cattle at 11 am on Saturday. But his body was found half-eaten in a private plantation close to the forest in the evening. The incident took place in Poothadi grama panchayat in the Chedalath range of South Wayanad forest division. South Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer A Shajna is currently heading a search operation in the area.
The over 50-member strong group consists of veterinary experts and Rapid Response Teams besides forest officials. Around 16 surveillance cameras have been set up in the Moodakolly and Koodallur areas. “We are yet to identify the tiger,” said Shajna.
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Search ops underway to find tiger
“We received one visual of the tiger captured by one of the surveillance cameras, but it was not clear enough to identify the animal,” said Shajna. The search is being carried out at the site where the tiger attacked and killed Prajeesh. Experts presume the tiger has not gone far.
The medical team collected hair samples of the tiger from the spot and sent them for a DNA test. Meanwhile, the body of Prajeesh was handed over to relatives after postmortem at the Sultan Bathery Taluk Hospital on Sunday.
Insisting on the issuance of an order to kill the man-eating tiger, his family members had refused to accept the body before it was issued. The relatives received the body by 3 pm after getting the order.