Tiger That Killed 10 Cows In Two Days In Kerala's Munnar, Captured
A tiger that terrorised the residents of the tourist town of Munnar in Kerala for days has been captured by the state Forest Department.
The adult tiger was caught in a cage trap set by the Forest Department in the Tata Tea-owned Nyamakkad estate in Munnar on Tuesday night.
Ten cows killed by the tiger in two days
The cage trap was set near the spot where the tiger had killed five cows just a few days ago.
The tiger had gone on a killing spree on the tea plantations between Nyamakkad and Kadalar on Saturday and Sunday, killing a total of ten cows and injuring another one.
While some of the cows were killed while gazing in the plantations, others were attacked in their sheds during the night.
"Five cows were found killed on Saturday, while equal number of them on Sunday," a senior forest official said.
The department has handed over Rs 35,000 each to the owners of cows as interim compensation.
Hunt for the problem tiger
The tiger attacks had spread panic among residents who on Monday blocked the Munnar-Udumalpet inter-state road for hours demanding an end to the menace.
The Forest Department had deployed a team of 20 personnel, drones, night-vision cameras, and three cage traps to capture the problem tiger.
More than one tiger, say locals
Around the same time, another tiger sighting was also reported from Kadalar, which is two kilometers away from Nyamakkad, triggering fears that more than one big cat in the area.
The massive hunt finally paid off on Tuesday night, when the big cat was caught in one of the trap cages.
Captured tiger was unable to hunt
Forest officials said that the adult tiger which has no serious physical injuries has?cataract in one of its eyes, leaving it unable to hunt.
Big cats including tigers and leopards usually attack domestic animals and humans, only when they are not able to hunt their natural prey like deer due to poor health or crippling injuries.
Forest officials said the pugmarks of the captured tiger will be examined to ascertain if it was the same that was spotted in Kadalar.
Human-animal conflict in tea plantations
Tiger and leopard attacks are not uncommon in the tea plantations of Munnar.
Tea estate workers say that more than a hundred cattle have been killed this year in the area by leopards and tigers.
"This is the mating season for tigers and leopards and as a result they are known to move in and out of the nearby Eravikulam National Park," a forest official said.
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