Tribal head killed by tiger in Wayanad
KALPETTA: The head of a tribal hamlet was killed in a tiger attack in Pulpally, Wayanad, on Saturday. Maran alias Kooman, 65, who headed the Devargadda Kattunayaka Unnati at Vandikadavu, was attacked when he went to collect firewood along the banks of the Kannarampuzha river near the Kurichiyadu forest range, accompanied by his sister Kulli, on Saturday morning. While Kulli managed to escape, Kooman was dragged deeper into the forest by the tiger.
On being alerted by local residents, forest officials rushed to the spot and launched a search operation. According to officials, Kooman was alive when he was located. However, he died while being shifted out of the forest.
Following the incident, tension prevailed in the area as local residents staged a protest, refusing to allow the officials to remove the body. Additional forest officials and police personnel reached the site to bring the situation under control. Later, Kooman’s body was shifted to the Sultan Bathery Taluk Hospital after the officials held a meeting with the residents. Kooman’s body will be handed over to the family on Sunday after the postmortem examination.
The state government has announced a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the deceased. Of this, Rs 6 lakh will be handed over immediately. The group insurance amount for tribespeople will also be provided. Assistant Conservator of Forests M Joshil said Kooman’s son, Ravi, will be given a temporary job.
Officials said efforts are under way to track down the tiger. Joshil said steps would be taken to trap and capture the tiger. “We haven’t yet been able to identify the tiger responsible for the attack. There was a cattle-lifting incident in the area a few days ago, but despite installing camera traps, we could not track the animal. After Saturday’s attack, more camera traps have been installed,” he said.
Joshil also dismissed reports suggesting that a tiger sighted in Panamaram was involved in the attack in Pulpally, stating that the department was almost certain the two animals were different. Minister for Forests and Wildlife Protection A K Saseendran said action would be taken to trace the tiger.
Meanwhile, the forest department has launched an awareness campaign for those living on forest fringes in view of the tiger breeding season. As part of the initiative, a social media campaign video has been released, outlining precautionary measures to be followed by the public. The video advises residents to ensure that cattle are not allowed to stray into forest areas and urges people to exercise caution while entering forests to collect forest produce.
The department has stressed that heightened vigil during the breeding season is crucial to preventing human–wildlife conflict. Over the past 10 years, there have been 12 tiger attack deaths in Kerala.