The Kerala government has announced that the tiger responsible for the death of a 47-year-old woman named Radha in Wayanad is a man-eater and will be shot. This decision was made after a meeting led by Forest Minister A K Saseendran.
The tragic incident happened on Friday morning when Radha, who belonged to a Scheduled Caste community, was attacked while picking coffee on the Priyadarshini Estate in Mananthavady village. Minister Saseendran stated that this is the first time a tiger has been labeled a man-eater in the state.
This same tiger also injured Beat Forest Officer Jayasurya, who was part of the Rapid Response Team sent to patrol the area. The decision to declare the tiger a man-eater came after repeated attacks and rising dangers to humans.
To manage the situation, the government is working to capture the tiger, and meetings with officials, including the Chief Secretary, have been held to address community worries. They declared the tiger a man-eater after consulting lawyers and receiving support from the Chief Minister.
In response to the tiger threat, the government is clearing bushes near where the tiger lives, and they plan to use technology to monitor the area. They will install 100 new cameras in Wayanad and 400 AI cameras throughout the state by March 31 to keep an eye on wildlife and avoid further attacks.
Minister Saseendran also criticized the central government for not providing enough help with wildlife problems. Many local people protested when he visited Radha’s family, blocking his vehicle and demanding he change his statement about where Radha was killed. However, he met with her family and offered a temporary job to her son.
After his visit, the minister told the media that the government will take all necessary measures to ensure safety and promised to follow up on the progress. Another meeting is scheduled for January 29 to discuss this issue further. The tiger attack caused protests, with locals initially stopping the victim’s remains from being taken for a postmortem until they received guarantees about safety measures and the fate of the tiger. After agreement from the authorities, they allowed the remains to be taken. Now, the forest department is working to capture or kill the tiger and has enforced rules to prevent gatherings in parts of Mananthavady town until the tiger is caught.
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