Sat Jan 25 21:03:39 IST 2025: ## Wayanad Tense After Tiger Kills Woman; Protestors Demand Action
**Kozhikode, January 25, 2025** – Tension gripped Pancharakkolly, Wayanad, on Saturday following the killing of a tribal woman by a man-eating tiger on Friday. Residents staged a protest demanding the Forest Department hunt down the animal. The protest, initially a heated demonstration outside the mission team’s base camp, concluded after the tiger was sighted in a nearby tea plantation. Authorities imposed a curfew in Pancharakkolly and surrounding areas and warned residents to stay indoors.
An all-party meeting later resulted in a plan to prevent further attacks, including clearing shrubbery between plantations and forests, and reinforcing the border fence. A ten-member team, aided by trained elephants, thermal drones, and camera traps, is actively searching for the tiger. If captured alive, the tiger will be relocated to a zoo. Joint police and forest patrols will continue until the animal is apprehended. School transportation arrangements are in place to ensure children’s safety.
Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran will chair a high-level meeting on Sunday. Protestors criticized his absence from the scene and accused the Forest and Wildlife Department of inaction in the face of rising man-animal conflict. They stressed the urgent need for a solution, as the tiger’s presence threatens their livelihoods. The victim, Radha, a coffee plantation worker, was attacked while working. Her funeral took place Saturday morning. Chief Conservator of Forests (Northern Circle) K.S. Deep and other senior officials are overseeing the capture operation.
First Piper 