The Forest department has initiated heightened surveillance and issued warnings following reported sightings of a tiger at Palathumkadavu in Ayyankunnu panchayat near the Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuary.
The tiger was initially spotted by a local resident, Sijo Kallanil, at Palathumkadavu on Wednesday morning. Later, Suresh Maramveetil, who was tapping rubber in a nearby plantation, confirmed the sighting. The attempts to scare the tiger away with firecrackers proved futile raising concerns among the locals. Even though the presence of a tiger had been reported before, searches had yeilded no results.
Local residents have been informed to be cautious. Sunny Joseph, MLA, and district panchayat vice president Binoy Kurian urged the Divisional Forest Officer and Kottiyoor ranger to take quick action to allay fears of local people.
15-member team
A 15-member forest guard team led by Kottiyoor ranger Sudheer Neroth reached the area and enhanced surveillance.
A meeting between local residents and Forest officials, chaired by ward member Bijoy Plathottam, decided to issue warnings. The ranger recommended to avoid night activities for a few days and conduct tasks like rubber tapping during the morning hours.
If the tiger is still spotted in the area, the Forest department plans to install cameras for continuous monitoring.
Additional measures will be taken based on observations regarding any injuries or age-related infirmities of the tiger, the department said.
