Forest officials have intensified operations to capture the tiger, which is believed to have killed as many as 10 domestic animals in a fortnight at Kurukkanmoola under the Begur forest range of the North Wayanad Forest Division.
The animal reportedly killed one more goat owned by Annakkutty of Parekkattil at Padamala near Kurukkanmoola in the early hours of Saturday.
Though Forest officials, led by North Wayanad Forest Divisional Officer Ramesh Bishnoi and Forest veterinary surgeon Arun Zachariah, conducted a combing operation in the area from the early hours, it was in vain. They also used an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to track the animal, but it also did not bear fruit owing to the dense canopy of trees in the area.
“We could trace pugmarks, indicating that the animal had moved to the nearby Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary,” Mr. Bishnoi said. As many as 80 frontline forest staff took part in the search.
“We will set up more cages with live bait after consultations with people’s representatives to trap the animal,” the officer added.
As many as three mobile squads, each consisting of eight Forest officials, have been constituted for night patrol in the area, and two forest watchers each have been deployed near the cages, he said.
