KOZHIKODE: The forest department on Saturday claimed that they have determined the approximate location of the elusive tiger which had been spreading panic at Kurukkanmoola in Wayanad for over two weeks.
The department claimed that they missed out on the injured tiger at Begur reserve forest on Saturday by seconds and were confident about capturing it at least by Sunday.
Officials said that Saturday was a positive day as very fresh pug marks were found based on which they were able to determine the approximate location as Kaveripoyil in the forest fringes.
“We were able to reach really close to the approximate location of the tiger but there was no direct sighting. We were able to locate the presence based on the pug marks. We are trying our best to find it at least by Sunday. Three darting teams are ready to tranquilize the tiger if it is spotted. Possibility of darting the tiger in night is low but it may enter the trap cages during the night,” said a senior forest official.
South Wayanad DFO A Shajna said that they were able to feel the presence of the tiger very closely unlike the previous days.
“Almost all tracking teams are closing in on that target. In Saturday’s search, its physical presence was observed in some places. So, we believe that we’ve moved a bit closer to the task of capturing the tiger. From the response that we got from the teams, we almost missed the tiger by seconds on Saturday. However, they are yet to sight in a distance from where darts can be fired to tranquilize it,” said Shajna.
She added that with the search concentrated in this area, they were hopeful of finding the tiger by Sunday. “Teams are ready for darting whenever an opportunity arises,” she said.
Meanwhile, pug marks were found at Kurukkanmoola village on Saturday morning as well. Over 230 personnel on the ground apart from 30 police personnel had been searching for the tiger for over a fortnight. A family, which was travelling in a car, had reportedly sighted the tiger crossing a road at Puthiyedam late on Thursday night.
On Friday, the village had witnessed tension as the irate residents engaged in a scuffle with the forest officials. Police have registered two separate cases in connection with the scuffle. Cases were filed based on the complaint by both the residents and the forest officials against each other.
The situation had further escalated on Friday when a forest staff member in the search team allegedly tried to take out a knife during the scuffle. The DYFI on Saturday staged a protest against forest officials in connection with the incident on Friday.
