Wild animal attacks: Hartal peaceful at Cheeral in Wayanad

KALPETTA

A hartal called by an all-party action council at Cheeral, a village on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, in Wayanad district on Tuesday was peaceful and total. All commercial establishments remained closed and vehicles kept off the road.

The hartal was called in protest against the alleged laxity of the Forest department in capturing a tiger on prowl.

Nenmeni grama panchayat president Tigi Cheruthottil said the big cat had triggered panic among the public after it attacked cattle in Mundakkolly and Cheeral areas.

Though forest personnel promised to capture the animal in three days on Sunday, they were yet to adopt any steps, except setting up two cages, Mr. Cheruthottil said.

Hundreds of villagers took out a march and staged a dharna in front of the Thottamoola forest station in the Muthanga forest range under the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS). Wayanad district panchayat president Samshad Marakkar inaugurated the march.

The protesters raised demands including capturing the tiger, finding a permanent solution to wild animal attacks, separating human habitats from the forest by digging trenches, and clearing undergrowth on the forest fringes.

However, Forest department sources said they had intensified patrol. As many as 24 surveillance cameras have been installed to monitor the animal’s movement, besides setting up cages. They added that the animal had been identified, but its presence had not been reported in the area in the past two days.