Idukki: Residents of Kadukkacity near Nettithozu along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border were drawn towards a pit on Sunday morning by strange noises coming from within. What they saw inside was one of the strongest sights they had seen.
A tiger and a dog lay inside. The tiger snarled and the dog yelped, resulting in that strange cacophony.
This was at a private cardamom plantation. The 15-feet deep pit had been dug to prepare compost, but had turned into a trap for the animals.
Officials said that the incident is from the Vandanmedu grama panchayat.
Kottayam Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) N Rajesh said the animals would have fallen into the deep pit while the tiger was chasing the dog.
Forest officials said the pit was approximately 15-foot deep, making it difficult for the tiger to scale it. The Forest department team covered the pit with an iron grill and a forest veterinary team, led by Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) assistant veterinary officer R. Anuraj, darted the animal around 12 noon. As the first dart failed to fully sedate the tiger, the team darted it again. The dog was also darted since it kept on barking.
“The forest team then brought both the animals out of the pit. Both appeared unhurt, and the dog was released in the area. The tiger was shifted to the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Thekkady and will be released deep in the forest later on the day,” Rajesh said.
According to the official, the tiger is around two years old and healthy. “It is suspected that the animal arrived from Tamil Nadu or the PTR,” said the official.
According to the official, both animals remained trapped in the pit for many hours, but the tiger did not attack the dog.
According to officials, the tiger’s face had porcupine quills, which were removed. Anti-rabies vaccine was administered to it as it stayed for long with the dog.
Local people said the area bordering Tamil Nadu was not considered a tiger habitat. Vast swathes of forests, speckled with farmlands and cardamom plantations, characterise the verdant region contiguous to Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, the spotting of the tiger has caused concern in the locality. Local people said plantation workers who ventured out for work at dawn were particularly vulnerable to wildlife attacks.
