Radha was picking coffee beans in a private plantation when the tiger pounced and dragged her away. Kerala police commandos later found her body.
Published Jan 24, 2025 | 5:09 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 25, 2025 | 8:26 AM
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The Kerala Forest Department has decided to shoot and kill a man-eater tiger that had mauled a 45-year-old tribal woman to death at Pancharakolly, some 10 km from Mananthavady in Kerala’s Wayanad.
The woman, Radha, wife of a temporary Forest Department watchman Achappan, was picking coffee beans at a private plantation on Friday, 24 January, when the tiger reportedly pounced on her and dragged her away around 8.30 pm.
Earlier, Achappan had dropped Radha off at the estate.
Members of Thunderbolt, Kerala police’s commando force, later found Radha’s partially eaten body a short distance from Priyadarshani Estate around 11 am.
The incident — the first of its kind this year — occurred nine days after the Forest Department trapped a cattle-lifting tiger at Amarakuni in Pulpally in the district.
Police commandos and others shift Radha’s body. (Supplied)
Soon after the incident, local residents protested, demanding a permanent solution to man-wildlife conflicts in the hilly district. Minister for the Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes OR Kelu faced the protest before it was called off.
The government announced immediate financial assistance of ₹5 lakh for Radha’s family.
India women’s cricket team player Minnu Mani said Radha was her aunt. In a Facebook post, she demanded the capture of the tiger to protect the lives of people in the area.
I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Smt. Radha, who was killed by a tiger while harvesting coffee in Pancharakolly, Mananthavady. My heartfelt condolences to her family.
There is an immediate need for sustainable solutions to address this pressing issue.
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) January 24, 2025
Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi called for immediate sustainable solutions to address the danger posed by wild animals. She extended condolences to Radha’s family.
Radha, who was killed in the tiger attack.
Forest Minister AK Saseendran said protecting human lives was the government’s priority. He said the action plan to shoot the tiger — if it could not be captured — was on.
The department stated that an official order would be issued later in compliance with the necessary guidelines.
Additional cages, veterinary experts, and Rapid Response Team (RRT) members were being deployed, and patrolling would be intensified along the Bandipur-Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary corridor to locate the tiger.
According to government statistics, 940 people were killed and 7,917 others injured in various wild animal attacks between 1 April 2016 and 11 November 2014. Tigers were responsible for eight casualties.
Later in the afternoon, the Congress called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Mananthavady municipality limits on Saturday, 25 January. Essential services have been exempted from the shutdown.
