The ageing predator suffering from blurred vision due to eye cataracts had preyed on livestock after it found it increasingly difficult to hunt its natural quarry
The ageing predator suffering from blurred vision due to eye cataracts had preyed on livestock after it found it increasingly difficult to hunt its natural quarry
The tiger, trapped in a cage at Neymakkad estate near Munnar in Idukki last week, radio-collared and released into Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) later, was found dead inside the reserve on Sunday.
The ageing predator suffering from blurred vision due to eye cataracts had preyed on livestock after it found it increasingly difficult to hunt its natural quarry.
The tiger had forayed into Neymakkad estate under Kanan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP) near Munnar and unleashed a killing spree. Wildlife enforcers estimated the predator had killed at least nine cows and seriously injured three.
The predator’s unnatural behaviour triggered panic and protests in the locality, with residents clamouring for protection and compensation from the Forest Department.
The Forest department had radio-tagged the predator to surveil its movements after capture and release.
Wildlife enforcers tracking the tiger found its body in the Sanyasiyoda area in Periyar lake. They suspect the cat to have drowned. A post-mortem examination in the presence of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA) members would possibly confirm the cause of death.
The Forest department had trapped the tiger in a cage on October 4. Despite the collar, the tiger had remained elusive. The NCTA had recommended the tiger’s release in a highly restricted area deep inside PTR. The locality had no other competing tiger presence. The experts also found the tiger could hunt and did not require confinement.
Wildlife enforcers had speculated that the estimated nine-year-old predator was injured in a fight with another tiger.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Idukki district secretary M.N. Jayachandran said that the big cat was healthy when released into the deep forest and demanded an inquiry.
