Man-eater tiger identified; Forest Dept brings in Kumki elephants to capture tiger

SULTAN BATHERY: The man-eater tiger who killed and consumed a dairy farmer in Vakeri in Wayanad has been identified. It was found that Vakeri native Prajeesh was attacked by a 13-year-old male tiger named 'WWL 45'. With this, the Forest Department has strengthened its efforts to capture the tiger. The Chief Wildlife Warden has issued an order to shoot and kill the tiger after it was confirmed to be the one that attacks humans.

The prohibitory order issued in the 11th ward of Poothadi panchayat, where the tiger attacked the youth, has been extended till December 19. The forest department has brought in two Kumki elephants as part of the effort to capture the tiger. The two Kumki elephants, named Vikram and Bharath, used to terrorise the hills of Wayanad before being captured and trained by the forest department.

The tiger attacked Prajeesh when he went to collect grass for the cattle. The forest department believes that the tiger attacked the youth thinking it was a wild boar or other animal. Officials are saying that the presence of the tiger is still there in the area. As the area is covered with a lot of bushes, it is difficult to spot the tiger if it stays between the bushes. To solve this problem, the forest officials will carry out the search sitting on elephants. Arrangements have also been made to fire tranquiliser darts at the tiger if it is spotted while conducting the search using the elephants.

The forest department has deployed a special team of 80 people to find the man-eater tiger. This will include doctors, shooters and patrolling teams. Minister AK Saseendran said that 25 cameras, cages and guns have been allotted for the team.