Sulthan Bathery: A cage has been set up in Meenangadi CC to capture the tiger that recently entered the residential area. On Monday, the forest department set up the cage in a grove near the stable where the tiger attacked the calf. 

Surendran’s eight-month-old calf was attacked and killed by a tiger on Saturday night. By Sunday evening, the forest department installed a camera near the stable. Around 11:30 PM the same night, the camera captured vague images of the tiger.

Due to the lack of clarity of the footage, forest officials said that it is difficult to identify the tiger. Thus, it remains unclear whether the tiger is one recorded in the data of the forest department.

The tiger returned to the carcass of the calf on Sunday night. It dragged the carcass away and ate it. A night vision camera installed by a social activist Paul Mathew, captured clear footage of the tiger. Three cameras have been installed in the stable and surrounding areas. The forest department set up the cage after getting reports of sighting the tiger.

The forest department has set up seven cameras in the area. It has also strengthened night surveillance. However, on Monday night, neither did the tiger come to the premises nor was it sighted in any of the cameras.

Locals had demanded that action be taken to lay the cage on Sunday itself as it was certain that the tiger would return to eat the rest of the carcass. However, citing technical hurdles, this was not done by the forest officials. They told the locals that a cage can be set up only after installing the cameras. Locals allege that the forest officials are deceiving them as they do not wish to capture the tiger. 

There are rubber and coffee plantations near the stable where the calf was killed. Farmers are unable to tap rubber or pluck coffee beans early in the morning for fear of tigers. In the past, tiger cubs have also been caught in the cages in the area. The forest department will install more cages here, if required.