Kerala: Missing man found dead after tiger attack in Wayanad; postmortem today

A man identified as Prajeesh (36) was found dead after a tiger attack in Vakery near Sulthan Bathery on Saturday (Dec 9). The postmortem of the deceased will be conducted today. 

Wayanad: In a shocking incident, a man from Koodallur, Vakery near Sulthan Bathery was found dead and partially eaten by a wild animal on Saturday (Dec 9). The victim Thottathil Prajeesh (36) was reportedly attacked by a tiger when he had gone to the paddy field at 11 am to collect grass for the cattle. However, he did not return by evening and soon his relatives launched a search for him. The body was found with the leg completely eaten around 4.30 pm. 

Prajeesh's left leg was completely bitten off by the tiger. Mudakkolli is a forest border zone. Wild animals including tigers are often present in these places. Vakery resident C D Saju claims that Prajeesh used to bring grass for his cattle back to his stable in a jeep each day from nearby farmlands. When his body was found, the search team noticed the jeep nearby.

The postmortem of the victim will be conducted today at Sulthan Bathery Taluk Hospital. After that, a decision will be taken on matters including final rites. 
The locals also protested demanding the capture of the tiger.  A decision may be taken in this regard today. Apart from that, the forest department will also look for the tiger's footprints. There was also a demand to declare it a man-eating tiger. Following the incident, a meeting was held under the leadership of IC Balakrishnan MLA, DFO Shajna Karim and others.

In the meeting, it was agreed to submit a report demanding that the tiger be declared a man-eater, provide immediate financial assistance to the family and install tiger fencing on the forest boundary of the region. It was agreed to instruct the private landowners to clear the forest, hand over the report to the North CCF, and request that one person in the family be given a job. The people demanded an order to shoot the tiger.

Camera traps have been installed at the spot where Prajeesh was killed to identify the tiger that attacked him. According to reports, more forest officials will arrive at the site.