Tiger in Wayanad or just AI? No pugmarks found, locals file complaint; ‘witness’ may face action

Panamaram (Wayanad): The tiger reportedly spotted at Vandiambatta in the Kottathara panchayat may actually be an AI-generated image, according to growing suspicion. Forest officials and local residents searched the area after an autorickshaw driver, Ajmal from Kambalakkad town, claimed to have seen the animal. However, no pugmarks or signs of a tiger were found, fuelling speculation that the photograph could be artificial. Following this, the Vandiambatta Youth Library filed a complaint with the Kambalakkad police on Sunday.

Ward Member S P Sajeesh, Library Secretary Pulikkal Shashidharan and office-bearers Jalesh Vandiambatta and P K Suresh visited the police station to submit the complaint. They stated that the image circulating in the locality was widely believed to be AI-generated, and urged an inquiry to establish the truth. They also demanded legal action against the autorickshaw driver if the image is proven fake.

The alleged sighting happened at around 12.10 am on Saturday. Ajmal, the autorickshaw driver, claimed he saw the tiger while returning from dropping passengers off at Karinjakunnu near Vennayode, after starting from Kambalakkad. According to him, he first noticed the head of an animal inside a clump of reeds by the roadside. Since there were houses nearby, he initially assumed it was a cow. But when the animal emerged from the reeds and stepped onto the road, he realised it was a tiger. Ajmal says he immediately stopped the vehicle and captured the animal’s photo on his mobile phone.

The image of the tiger crossing the road then spread rapidly across social media. Since the location is not close to any forest area, many suspected it was an AI-made picture. However, on Saturday morning, forest ranger K Hashif from the Kalpetta Forest Range, along with forest guards and the Rapid Response Team (RRT), visited the location and examined the image on Ajmal’s phone.

Officials said Ajmal did not appear doubtful or inconsistent in his statements. To ease public fear, the forest team began a systematic search for the tiger. They inspected nearby plantations but found no pugmarks or any indication of a tiger’s presence. By noon, the team also deployed drones to search an area spanning nearly three kilometres but found nothing.

The search team withdrew by evening. They returned at night for further patrolling but found no evidence of the tiger. With repeated attempts producing no results, the mission was eventually called off.