Elusive tiger shot dead after tranquilizer fails in Kerala's Idukki

Idukki, March 17
A tiger that had caused panic among the locals in Gramby in Kerala's Idukki district was shot dead after tranquilizer shots failed to subdue it.

The tiger, even after two tranquilizer shots, had attacked the special team, which was on prowl to capture it.

The officials said that after the first tranquilizer was fired, the tiger became violent, and a second shot made it more aggressive. It jumped towards the Rapid Response Team (RRT), and in the process, one member suffered injuries. Seeing this, the RRT officials, who were armed, opened fire, and in that gunfire, the tiger dropped down.

The RRT officials lifted the tiger into a net and put it into a vehicle.

Pictures now reveal that the tiger was dead when it was lifted into the net. The RRT team had shifted the caged tiger to the Thekkady Wildlife Reserve. It was after reaching there that the news came that the tiger was dead.

Incidentally, a team of the Kerala Forest Department, police and locals, which has been on the lookout for the tiger for the past six days, on Monday morning saw it in a tea estate.

When it was spotted a few days back, the tiger seemed to be weak and was seen limping due to a possible injury.

Earlier, the Department had set up a cage near the Government LP School in Gramby to trap the animal.

However, the attempt failed as the tiger was too weak to enter the trap, prompting officials to focus on tranquillisation instead.

According to official data as of February 28, Kerala has recorded 57 human fatalities due to wildlife attacks in the current financial year (2024-25).

This includes 15 deaths from elephant attacks, eight from wild boar attacks, one death from a tiger attack, 32 deaths from snake bites and one death caused by a porcupine attack.

The increasing number of human- wildlife conflicts in Kerala is attributed to its vast forest cover, which accounts for 29.1 per cent of the state’s total geographical area.

More than one lakh tribal residents live within these forests, alongside nearly five lakh non-tribal residents in nearby settlements and border areas.