S Senthil Kumar By

COIMBATORE: People living in Gudalur taluk and surrounding areas were relieved as the Special Task Force (STF) personnel killed a male tiger at Devashola in the Nilgiris on Saturday.

The tiger had killed an estate worker hailing from Jharkhand last Saturday. Following the attack, a team had been tracking the movements of the tiger.

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“Last night, a cow was tied under a tree to lure the animal. The team stayed in a makeshift platform atop a tree to shoot and tranquilise the animal. Though the big cat killed the cow, we were unable to tranquilise it due to mist and low visibility,” said I Anwardin, Conservator of Forest, Coimbatore.

“We had no other option but to shoot the animal around 3 pm at Woodbriar Estate. A member from Special Task Force (STF) and another from the Armed Reserve Police were injured. As they were unable to escape from the tiger’s attack in the tea estate we had to shoot the animal,” he claimed.

“Two persons were injured in the stomach and shoulder. They are out of danger now. We have asked them to get medical treatment at Perinthalmanna in Kerala as reaching a hospital in Coimbatore will mean delay in getting treatment,” said Collector P Shankar.

With the man-eater shot dead, the workers at the tea estate are expected to be back at work on Monday, after almost a week.

Wildlife activist N Mohan Raj said man-animal conflicts should not be handled by the STF. “The Forest Department should not take credit for the tiger killing,” he said, adding that a case regarding retrieval of forest land from private estate at Gudalur is still pending.