Tiger that killed man in Malappuram caught

Malappuram (Kerala): The tiger, which killed a rubber-tapping worker near Kalikavu here nearly two months ago, was on Sunday trapped in one of the several cages set-up around the area where the inci- dent occurred, the forest department said.

However, when the forest department officials tried to take away the caged tiger, a massive crowd of local residents gathered in the area and prevented them from removing the feline, according to visuals on TV channels.

Locals told reporters that they were concerned that the tiger would be re- leased in the same area and would again pose a risk to their lives. They later permitted the tiger to be taken away after officials assured them that the feline was not likely to be released in the area. Forest Minister A K Saseendran told reporters that for now the tiger will be kept in the custody of the Forest department.

"Thereafter, an expert-level discussion will be held to decide whether it should be released into the deep forest or relocated to a shelter for wild animals," the minister said. A senior forest official said that the tiger was around 13-years-old and therefore, the likelihood of it being released back into the forest was less. (PTI)