Coimbatore , August 23
The Forest Department has stepped up efforts to capture a male tiger suspected of killing two people at Lauriston in O-Valley town panchayat near Gudalur in the Nilgiris, after classifying the animal as a man-eater.
The tiger, aged eight to 10, is suspected of attacking K. Ravikumar, whose body was found at 2 p.m. on Friday, about 200 metres from his house. The body had been partly consumed.
The death came less than two weeks after M. Balakrishnan, 58, of Field 4 in Lauriston Estate, was killed on August 9. His partially consumed remains were recovered nearby.
Gudalur District Forest Officer P. Devaraj said similarities in pugmarks collected from both locations indicated that the same tiger was likely responsible for the two attacks.
Six cages with live bait have been placed along routes frequently used by the animal, including sites close to where the victims were found. Four specialised teams have joined the search operation.
Two seven-member teams are tracking the tiger on foot using pugmarks, scat and other signs, while two teams are monitoring the landscape with drones. The ground teams have been equipped with firearms and protective gear.
Officials said the priority was to tranquilise and capture the tiger. However, personnel could shoot the animal if it charged at them and posed an immediate danger to human life.
The tiger’s health could not be reliably assessed from camera-trap images and would be determined through a veterinary examination after its capture.
Officials will then decide whether to move it to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur or the Wildlife Transit and Treatment Centre at Pethikuttai, subject to the Chief Wildlife Warden’s approval.
Estate work has been suspended in vulnerable areas, while residents have been advised to remain indoors at night and avoid plantations and forests until further notice.
