An elusive tiger that was terrorizing Idukki villages in Kerala was shot dead following a dramatic standoff with a special wildlife capture unit. Even though the tiger had been hit twice with tranquilizer darts, it was aggressive and attacked rescue unit members, prompting forest officials to resort to lethal measures.
The tiger, who had been credited for a series of recent cattle killings, had outsmarted several attempts at being caught. Wildlife officials had beefed up efforts to tranquilize the animal safely and rehome it, but its erratic behavior and increasing danger to human life gave officials little choice in the last operation.
Locals villagers, who had lived in terror, showed contradictory feelings—joy at the ordeal’s end but sadness that the large cat had to be killed. Forest officials rationalized that the use of firearms is always the last option, adding that the safety of the rescue team and communities around it had become the top priority.
Conservationists demanded a rethink of wildlife management policies in areas of human-wildlife conflict. They urged enhanced preventive efforts, such as early warning systems and safe livestock enclosures, to reduce such heart-wrenching incidents in the future.
