The housing of a tiger of ‘Man-Eater’ after it was found dead in the Wayanad district of Kerala on January 27, 2025. Photo credit: PTI
The National Conservation Authority of the Tiger, a statutory agency under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, has sought a report from the Keala Forest and Wildlife Department about the death of the Tiger in Pancharakolly in the Wayanad district on Monday (January 27, 2025).
The department has not registered a case even after the tiger was found dead outside the forest, since “has no suspicions” about the death of the animal. The autopsy performed on Monday revealed that deep wounds in the neck, probably incurred during a fight with another tiger, was the cause of his death. The four bite marks on his neck were from the teeth of another tiger, the report confirmed.
Meanwhile, the dead tiger could not be found in the database of forest departments in Kerala and Karnataka, asking questions about how the tiger reached the area. Officials of the Department of Forestal explained that the tigers who share a territory often join and attack any tiger that invests in their territory and shared the assumption that the same could have happened here, especially because it is the season of mating of the tigers . The wounds were not incurred at the same time, since some were quite old.
The officials think that the Tiger could have returned to the forest after killing a tribal woman, Radha, in Pancharakolly, and a second fight with other tigers could have resulted in the wounds that led to his death.
The tigers are identified from the brown and black lines in their body that are different for each tiger. The stomach lines, neck and front legs in addition to PUG marks are factors that identify the tigers. The cameras established in the place where Radha was attacked, have captured images of the tiger on both sides, which have been used to confirm the identity of the bearer of men, before the department launched the search operations. His identity was confirmed using the same images after his death.
Opinion difference
Meanwhile, the forest department and local residents have a difference of opinion with respect to the animal that attacked a young man in pulpar in Wayanad. While the department states that it was a leopard, the locals argue that it was a tiger.
Kerala Forest Minister AK Sasendran will preside over a meeting on Wednesday to evaluate the procedure followed after the Tiger attack was reported.
Published – January 28, 2025 11:47 am isth
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