A tiger that had been causing panic in Kenichira village, Wayanad, was successfully captured after it returned to the shed where it had previously killed cows. The capture occurred late at night near Sabu's residence.
Wayanad: The tiger that caused panic in Kenichira village, Wayanad, has finally been captured. The big cat was trapped around 11 PM on Sunday (June 23) near Sabu's house, a Pallithazhe resident. The male tiger identified as ‘Tholpetty 17’ had earlier killed two cows in the vicinity. An order was given to dart the tiger if it was spotted, and a curfew was enforced in the area to protect residents. The tiger is believed to be around 10 years old. Tholpetty 17 was first spotted in the Maliyekkal area at around 9 pm.
According to the Forest Department, the tiger cannot be released into the wild due to health issues. Two teeth in the lower row are broken. It is currently in the Irulam Forest Department Centre and is likely to be rehabilitated at the zoo. A detailed health check-up will be conducted today (June 24).
The tiger was captured when it returned to the shed where it had previously killed cows. Last night, the tiger's attack resulted in the death of three cows. Over the past three days, it had killed a total of four cows. It finally got captured in a trap set near Sabu's cowshed last night.
In March, another tiger that caused fear in the Appadu and Mylambadi areas of Meenangadi was captured using a similar method, inside a cage set up by the forest department. The tiger was caught inside the cage placed in the yard of Kavungal resident Kurien, around 9:15 pm.