
The tiger caught in a cage trap set at Sultana Estate, Karuvarakundu.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
After a prolonged search lasting nearly two months following the tragic death of a man at Kalikavu, the Forest Department finally achieved a breakthrough. A tiger, believed to be the man-eater, was trapped in a cage strategically set up by the forest staff at Sultana Estate, Karuvarakundu, on Sunday (July 6, 2025) morning.
The full grown animal appeared weak possibly due to hunger. However, the forest staff could not confirm if it was the same tiger involved in the May 15 attack at Kalikavu that resulted in a human fatality.
The capture of the tiger brought a sigh of relief from both the forest staff and local residents. Since the May 15 attack that claimed the life of 44-year-old rubber tapper Gafoor Ali at Adakkakundu, Kalikavu, plantation workers in the hilly areas of Kalikavu and Karuvarakundu have been living in fear.
Following public outrage, the Forest Department launched an extensive search for the man-eater led by Chief Forest Veterinary Surgeon Arun Zachariah. Despite capturing the tiger on camera traps multiple times, it evaded cage traps set at various locations. Interestingly, a leopard was once caught in one of the traps and it was later released into the Nilambur forest.
Over the past few weeks, local residents had spotted an aged frail tiger roaming various parts of Karuvarakundu. And it fuelled growing unrest as the hunt for the tiger dragged on with no results.
But in a dramatic turn of events, the tiger’s luck ran out as it walked into the cage trap in the early hours of Sunday, bringing a wave of relief that finally calmed the nerves of the anxious residents and forest staff.
The tiger’s capture is expected to bring a sense of closure and relief to the community by ending a period of fear and tension.
Published – July 06, 2025 11:28 am IST