Tribesman’s death: Nod given to capture Wayanad tiger

Kozhikode: State chief wildlife warden Pramod G Krishnan issued an order granting permission to capture the tiger which had mauled tribesman Maran to death at Chethimattam, under Vandikadavu forest station limits, in Wayanad either by trapping or tranquilising the animal.The technical committee which met in the district on Sunday night was able to identify the tiger based on images obtained from camera traps installed the previous day.Meanwhile, locals said that they spotted a tiger close to the area where the attack happened on Sunday too.Earlier in the day, forest minister A K Saseendran said that directives were issued to capture the tiger which killed Maran.Meanwhile, Maran's cremation was held at Devergadda hamlet on Sunday evening. The body was handed over to relatives after a postmortem examination conducted at Bathery taluk hospital. First instalment of Rs 6 lakh of compensation was handed over to the deceased's children, Geetha and Ravi.Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) warden Varun Dhalia said that to prevent further untoward incidents, patrolling in the area has been intensified. Eight teams have been formed under the leadership of Bathery and Mananthavady rapid response teams, comprising forest staff from WWS and South Wayanad Division. These teams are conducting round-the-clock patrols and surveillance."A cage has been set up at the site of the incident to capture the animal. More cages will be installed after assessing areas where the tiger is likely to emerge. A tranquillising team has been kept on standby for emergency situations," he said.Additional camera traps and live cameras have been installed to closely monitor the tiger.Earlier, the deceased's family, which held protests and refused to cooperate with postmortem proceedings, relented after ADM held talks with them. Family members and locals demanded that Maran's son be provided a permanent job.Locals also alleged lapses by forest department in providing adequate surveillance in the area even after a tiger killed cattle recently.