Tiger Terrorizes Plantation Villages, Capture Operation Underway

A five-year-old tiger has been causing significant trouble for residents in the plantation villages of Vandiperiyar for the past two months. The tiger, initially captured and released into the Periyar Tiger Reserve in April, has since ventured back into human-populated areas near Vandiperiyar, including Thankamala, Arnakkal, Granby, and Hillash.

This feline predator has been attacking cattle and instilling fear among plantation workers. On Wednesday, two cows were attacked in Hillash, resulting in one fatality and another animal severely injured. Forest department officials are coordinating an operation, aiming to trap or tranquilize the tiger. However, dense wild bushes in abandoned tea plantations are hindering their efforts.

Local planters are actively involved in clearing overgrown areas within the plantations where the tiger has been sighted. The tiger's familiarity with tea plantation environments, where it previously resided, is noted as a reason for its return to these areas. Unlike tea estates, it has not been observed in nearby coffee or cardamom plantations.

Concerns are mounting regarding the tiger's repeated presence near human settlements. A Member of the Legislative Assembly has proposed that the captured animal should be relocated to a zoo rather than being released back into the forest, citing its tendency to return to habitations.