A tiger declared a man-eater after killing 47-year-old Radha in Wayanad’s Mananthavady was found dead outside the forest in Pilakavu early Monday morning. The attack, which occurred on a tea estate near the forest, had sparked protests and prompted the Kerala government to designate the tiger as a man-eater and authorize its capture or culling.
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The seven-year-old female tiger was discovered with deep neck injuries, and authorities believe it sustained these wounds in the forest. Chief Veterinary Surgeon Dr. Arun Zachariah confirmed that the cause of death would be determined after a postmortem. Forest officials had been tracking the tiger, whose stripe pattern matched visuals of the animal responsible for the attack. Despite an earlier attempt to tranquilize it, the tiger was found dead hours later.
The incident had led to curfews in parts of Mananthavady to ensure public safety. Kerala’s Forest Minister AK Saseendran announced the tiger as a man-eater after a high-level meeting, intensifying search efforts that ended with the discovery of the animal’s carcass.