Tribal woman’s death in tiger attack in Wayanad triggers protests
MANANTHAVADY : Enraged local residents held protests after a tribal woman was killed in a tiger attack near Priyadarshani Estate in Pancharakolli, Mananthavady, on Friday.
The deceased has been identified as Radha, 47, a coffee-plantation worker and wife of Achappan, a temporary watcher with the forest department and a relative of Indian cricketer Minnu Mani.
The attack occurred at 8.30 am when Radha was on her way to the plantation where she works. Her severely mangled body was noticed around 11.15 am by Thunderbolt commandos who were combing the area following a Maoist threat. Police and forest department officials later inspected the scene. Pug marks of a tiger were found in and around the spot which indicate that the animal could have dragged Radha’s half-eaten body around 100 metres into the forest before abandoning it.
Locals staged the protest when Minister of Welfare of SCs, STs, and Backward Classes O R Kelu visited the Priyadarshini Estate following the attack.
The state government issued an order classifying the tiger as a man-eater, which opens the path for the animal to be shot dead as a last resort. “According to the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the central government under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, after confirming that the tiger is a man-eater, attempts can be made to capture it by tranquilising it or installing a trap as a first step. If these possibilities are not available, the final step of shooting the tiger to death will be taken after confirming that it is a man-eater,” the order of the chief wildlife warden said.
The minister also announced the government’s decision to provide Rs 11 lakh as assistance to the next of kin of Radha and a temporary job to a family member. Of this, Rs 5 lakh was handed over on Friday. The remaining amount will be given along with the right certificates.
Kelu said that the tender for installing fencing around Priyadarshini Estate, a resettlement area for the ST community located on the forest fringe, was floated two or three times, but did not invite any interests.
Following the government’s assurances, protesters dispersed and Radha’s body was taken to the Wayanad Government Medical College Hospital for postmortem. Her funeral will be held on Saturday at her residence.

“I heard very shocking news a while ago. My uncle’s wife died in a tiger attack in Pancharakolli, Wayanad. I hope that the aggressive tiger will be caught as soon as possible and the lives and property of the people of the area will be protected. May her soul rest in peace,” Minnu Mani posted on Facebook.
The forest department has deployed 39 employees at the site. Conservator of forests, northern circle, K S Deepa is supervising the operation. One trap cage with live bait was set in Pancharakolli area. Kumki elephants from the Muthanga camp will be deployed in the search operation for the tiger.
“Staff under Thalapuzha and Varayal forest stations are combing the Pancharakolli area with 12-bore pump-action guns. A team of veterinarians led by forest department’s chief veterinary surgeon Dr Arun Zachariah will assist the mission to capture the tiger. A thermal drone and normal drones are being used in the search operations. As many as 28 camera traps and four cameras have been set in the area to monitor movements of the tiger,” said Martin Lowell, divisional forest officer, north Wayanad.
A prohibitory order has been issued within the limits of Mananthavady municipality. The order will be in effect from January 24 to 27.
In the last 10 years, eight people have died in tiger attacks in Wayanad alone. “Three people were killed by tigers in Wayanad during 2023-25. We need an effective solution to the human-wildlife conflict, and distributing compensation to every victim won’t just do,” said Samshad Marakkar, Wayanad district president of the Youth Congress.
Meanwhile, Chief Wildlife Warden Pramod G Krishnan issued an order on Friday evening to hunt down and kill the tiger if it cannot be tranquillised.

11 tiger attack deaths 10 years (2015 - 25)
1. February 10, 2015: S Bhaskaran, 62, Noolpuzha, Wayanad
2. February 14, 2015: K Mahalakshmi, 30, Pattavayal, Wayanad
3. July 4, 2015: K Baburaj, 23, Kurichiad, Wayanad
4. November 23, 2017: Basavan, 44, Tholpetty, Wayanad
5. April 7, 2018: Ravi, 42, Kokkathode, Pathanamthitta
6. December 24, 2019: Jadayan, Vadakkanadu, Wayanad
7. May 7, 2020: Bineesh Mathew, 37, Thannithode, Pathanamthitta
8. June 17, 2020: Sivakumar, 23, Pulpally, Wayanad
9. January 12, 2023: Thomas, 52, Puthussery, Wayanad
10. December 9, 2023: Prajeesh, 36, Vakeri, Wayanad
11. January 24, 2025 : Radha, 48, Pancharakolli, Wayanad
DISTURBING TREND
Lives lost in wild animal attacks in Wayanad (Since Jan 2024)
Vishnu, 22: Hailing from Kattunayakan tribe in Karnataka, he was killed by a wild elephant in Pathiri Reserve Forest in Chedalath range on January 8, 2025
Raju, 52: The Kuruman tribe member and Marode Kallumukku resident died while undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in a wild elephant attack in Sultan Bathery on July 16, 2024
Mini, 33: Hailing from Cholanaikkan tribe in Vaduvanchal of Muppainad panchayat, Mini was out collecting wild honey when a wild elephant trampled her to death at Parappanpara in Meppadi forest range of Wayanad in March 2024
Lakshmanan, 65: The resident of Pannikkal tribal colony was killed by a wild elephant near the estate in Tholpetty, where he worked as a watchman, in January 2024
V P Paul, 50: A forest watcher at Kuruva Island Eco-Tourism Centre, Paul was killed in a wild elephant attack in Pulpally on February 16, 2024
Panachiyil Ajeesh Joseph, 47: A tractor driver hailing from Payyampally in Wayanad, Ajeesh was trampled to death by a wild elephant on February 11, 2024
(First four deceased were from tribal communities)