People of Cheeral village of Wayanad district in Kerala heaved a sigh of relief on Friday as a tiger that was giving them sleepless nights for the last month was trapped by the forest department.
It took days of effort for the forest department to cage the tiger that killed over a dozen domestic animals, including cattle.
The people of the village, which is close to Sultan Bathery town, were living in fear with women and children reluctant to go out during the day and shops pulling down shutters by evening. The people were also up in arms and staged roadblocks in protest against the alleged lethargy of the forest authorities in caging the tiger.
As pressure mounted, a strong posse of forest team camped in the locality over the last few days and even Kumki elephants were used to trace the tiger. A section of the local people also demanded that the tiger should be shot at sight.
Finally, in the late hours of Thursday, the tiger entered one of the many cages set up by the forest department. The tiger, aged around ten, was shifted to a forest department camp in the district. After reviewing its health, it may be released deep in the forest.
Earlier in October, a tiger caught from a human settlement in Idukki district was released back into the forests of Periyar Tiger Reserve and was later found dead. The tiger that was radio-collared was found to have drowned.