Ooty: Adding tragic mirth to the episode, another NGO, the Tamil Nadu Green Movement, has called for shoot-at-sight orders from the higher-ups in the administration instead of carrying on with the drama of wanting to transquilise the man-eater and trapping it. “The forest teams have failed in attempts to trace and get the tiger for the last one week.
They must get the orders to shoot it on sight”, said TNGM joint secretary S Jayachandran. Locals point out there has not been such man-eater problem for the last six decades and consequently, there are no foresters and cops—let alone the NGO crowd—who know how to handle a killer tiger in the wild.
“This seems to be like some excursion trip by these officials or a circus of officials. Even the district collector is seen waving hands giving directions while strolling down the roads of this hamlet. We don’t see a single experienced shikari capable of handling a man-eater”, said a farmer at KundhaÂchapÂpai, about 10 km from Ooty, where the tiger killed its third victim on Wednesday.
“They are riding on kumÂkis and running behind guard dogs. These men have never seen a tiger in the wild, nor are their dogs familiar with the scent of a carnivore. How are they going to get the man-eater? Why can’t they engage some experienced shikaris and give them shoot-at-sight orders?” asked a local farÂmer, worried that the tiger could kill again before it is shot dead.
District forest officer B.Sugirtharaj Koilpillai has confirmed that the camera-trap picked up images of the tiger prowling at KundÂhachÂappai farmland at about 10.50 pm Saturday night. The camera had captured similar visuals the previous night too. The forest teams, consequently, have zeroed in at this area.
A wildlife expert expressed view that the tiger could be eitÂher dead or dying since its last kill was on Wednesday buÂt it was not allowed to hÂave a meal of the victim wÂomÂan as it was forced to flee by her husband and his farÂmhand hurling stones at it.
The previous kill was on Monday night and it had eaten a portion of the chest area of the 58-year-old farmer Chinnappan at Chinchona Lease Area, about four km from KundÂhaÂchappai. The first kill was on January 4 when Kavitha Ravi (35) was killed at Solada, 3 km from CLA.
That is, the tiger has not eaten after its Monday night meal. And camera shots at Kundhachappai on Friday and Saturday showed the animal was weak, and there were bloodstains on its pugmarks indicating it was also injured.
Unless the tiger managed to get an easy meal, since it cannot hunt effectively because of its physical condition, it could be either in an extremely weak condition and close to death, the expert said.
