In a dramatic encounter, forest officials sloshed tranquillizers into a tiger in Kerala’s Idukki district to subdue it, only for it to become aggressive and be shot dead in self-defence. The big cat had created panic among the locals by preying on domestic animals in the Granby Estate area in Vandiperiyar, where the incident happened on Monday.
Residents were concerned that the tiger had killed a dog and several puppies, as well as a cow-calf after it was believed to have strayed from the nearby forest. A wildlife team tracked the animal to a tea estate and tried to tranquilise it, acting on complaints.
The first dart firing was successful, and the team reached the tiger, a senior forest official said, but the tiger fought back. The animal was hit with a second tranquillizer shot and yet lashed out at the officials, tearing the protective shield of one team member and smashing the helmet of another.
“The idea was to calm and capture the tiger alive.” The official explained that it was spotted near a residential area, so we took the risk and fired the shot from just 15 meters away. “Sadly the tiger had become wildly aggressive so we were then forced to shoot in self defence.”
According to forest department sources, the tiger appeared weak, and the old animal had visible injuries on one of its legs.
A post-mortem examination will be done to find out the exact health condition of the tiger before the dead animal is forwarded to researchers for study, after which the authorities will urge the organisers to exorcise the lions for their own safety. Such discussions on human-wildlife conflict in Kerala have resurfaced, and people are now calling for better ways to move safely big cats out of inhabited areas.
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