Tiger that killed tribal woman in Nilgiris trapped after two-week search

Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu) Dec 11 (PTI) A tiger that had been the subject of an intensive two-week hunt after a tribal woman was killed has been trapped in a cage here, forest officials said on Thursday.

The animal was caught in the early hours after it walked into one of the cages laid by the Forest Department, officials said.

The search was launched after a tribal woman, identified as Nagi Ammal, was killed in a tiger attack on November 24 at Mavanalla near Singara in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).

Following the incident, the department initiated a massive operation to track and capture the suspected man-eater.

Four special teams were formed, and drones and camera traps were deployed in and around the area to monitor the animals’ movement, sources said.

Forest personnel have shifted the trapped tiger to the veterinary hospital inside MTR for examination and treatment. A decision on releasing it back into the forest will be taken after assessing its condition, they added.

Villagers, however, allege that the tiger caught in the cage is not the animal responsible for the woman’s death. They launched a road blockade on the Ooty-Masinagudi highway, demanding the capture of the actual killer tiger.

Refuting the claims, the Forest Department maintained that the captured animal had been identified as MTD37, the suspected man-eater, using camera traps set up at 29 locations.

A drone survey had confirmed the presence of an elderly male tiger in the area, which matched MTD37, officials said.

"It has been scientifically confirmed that the tiger caught in the cage is MTD37," an official said. PTI COR JR SSK