Thiruvananthapuram: An official of the Kerala Forest Department’s Rapid Response Team (RRT) sustained injuries during an operation to capture a man-eating tiger in Wayanad on Sunday.
The incident occurred while the team was conducting a patrolling drive in the forest, where the tiger’s presence had been confirmed. The injured team member, identified as Jayasoorya, was attacked by the tiger shortly after he fired tranquiliser shots at the animal.
Reacting swiftly, he used his protective shield to block the tiger’s charge. However, he sustained injuries to his hand. He was immediately transported to the Government Medical College Hospital in Mananthavady for treatment.
Jayasoorya was part of a 28-member team actively involved in the operation earlier in the day.
The tiger had earlier attacked and killed a woman named Radha (47), wife of Achappan, a temporary forest watchman, on Friday, January 24. Radha was plucking coffee cherries at the Priyadarshini Estate in Pancharakolly village when the tiger attacked her. Her mutilated body was discovered by Thunderbolt commandos, who were conducting a combing operation in the area for Maoists.
They found the body around 11:30 a.m., following pug marks that indicated the tiger had dragged the body into the nearby forest.
A special team led by Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Arun Zachariah and Dr. Ajesh Mohandas, along with expert trackers, has been deployed in the area to locate and safely capture the tiger.
Approximately 100 Forest Department personnel, including darting specialists, trackers, and veterinarians, are involved in the operation.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the North Wayanad Division, K.J. Martin Lowell, is overseeing the comprehensive hunt.
Multiple cages have been strategically placed, and cameras and thermal drones have been deployed to monitor the tiger’s movements.
Kerala Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran visited the residence of the deceased Radha to meet her family members and assured them of full support from the state government.
However, local residents waved black flags at the minister, expressing their frustration over the delay in capturing the man-eating tiger. Efforts to capture the tiger continue as the region remains tense following the attacks.
(IANS)
