A 48-year-old tribal woman was mauled to death by a tiger at Priyadarshini Estate in Panchara Kolli , 10 km from Mananthavady town in Wayanad district of Kerala on Friday.

The victim, identified as Radha, had gone to pick coffee beans at a private estate in the morning and had fallen prey to the feline attack. She was found dead in the forests close to her settlement. Her husband, Achappan, works as a forest watcher. On Friday morning, the deceased’s husband dropped her on the main road, near the coffee estate owned by a private individual.As Radha was walking towards her workplace, the tiger attacked her.According to police, the state anti-Maoist force, Thunderbolt, found the woman’s body during routine surveillance. The body was found partially eaten by the tiger.

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Protests erupted in the area with Pancharakkolly residents preventing revenue officials and police from moving the body. The protesters also blocked the way of state SC/ST Welfare Minister and local legislator O R Kelu, who had rushed to the area to pacify residents. Kelu stated that the tiger was considered a man-eater and announced that orders had been issued to shoot it. “A sum of Rs 11 lakh will be paid to the family of Radha as compensation of which Rs five lakhs will be paid on Friday itself,” Kelu announced . It was after this assurance that the protesters handed over Radha’s body for post-mortem.

Forest Minister A. Saseendran confirmed this action plan. Chief Wildlife Warden Pramod G. Krishnan stated that field officers have been instructed to locate and capture the tiger.

The issue of man-animal conflict across Kerala, especially in areas bordering the forests, has become a major issue. The state Assembly witnessed a heated debate on the issue on Thursday. Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan alleged that the LDF government has failed to rise to the occasion to handle this vexed issue, and said during 2019-20, the number of man-animal conflicts which stood at 6,341 rose to 9,838 cases during 2023-24.

Earlier this week, Forest officials in Wayanad caged a tiger that had forayed into human settlements in search of prey. Recurring incidents of human casualties have been reported in the state from attacks from wild animals, mainly elephants.

A wild jumbo killed Ajeesh, a resident of Padamala in Wayanad on February 10 last. Paul (52), a native of Vellachal near Pakkam in Wayanad was killed in a wild elephant attack on February 16 last .In December 2023, a youth was mauled to death by a tiger near district headquarters, Kalpetta. Then, Prajeesh, was attacked while he went to collect fodder. In the last 10 years, this is the eighth incident that a person has been killed by a tiger in the Wayanad district.

In this connection, it has been reported that the victim of the tiger attack, Radha, is the aunt of Indian cricketer Minnu Mani. Expressing her grief, Minnu Mani shared an emotional post on social media, calling the incident shocking and deeply distressing. “This news is quite shocking; I just found out about it. The victim of the tiger attack in Pancharakolly is my uncle’s wife,” she wrote.

Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed deep sadness over the incident.