Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 26 (IANS) Local people of Attapadi in Kerala’s Palakkad district have complained of a tiger reaching housing settlements and attacking domestic animals, including cow, goat and dogs.
They have in the complaint to the Forest authorities said that the tiger had reached the area where people live and has taken away a goat from the house of Thampi, a local farmer. Two other goats which were reared at the house were also attacked by the tiger.
It is to be noted that the Attapadi area is frequented by wild animals, including leopard, tiger, elephants and wild boars. People have been regularly complaining of wild elephant herd destroying the crops and inflicting heavy losses.
However, with the presence of a tiger in the area, people are planning agitations in front of the forest department office to take immediate action to capture it and to relocate it in deep forest away from the human settlements.
The tiger had killed a cow recently in Attapadi and local people have been complaining of the presence of the big cat.
R. Palaniswami, a resident of Attapadi, who is a farmer while speaking to IANS said, “We are afraid of the wild animals reaching our settlements and attacking our animals and we are in constant fear of our lives. People are scared that no one is going out of their homes after dusk sets in due to fear of wild animals, including elephants, leopards, tigers and wild boars.”
A senior officer of the Kerala forest department while speaking to IANS said, “The forest department will be interfering in the issue and will soon take the decision to capture the tiger. We understand the difficulties faced by the people and adequate compensation will be given to the farmer who has lost his cow and to the latest case in which to the farmer who lost his goat.”
In Palakkad, ‘Dhoni’ a wild tusker was captured by the forest department and is now in the elephant rehabilitation centre in Wayanad.
–IANS
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