The Forest department has initiated heightened surveillance and issued warnings following reported sightings of a tiger at Palathumkadavu in Ayyankunnu panchayat near the Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuary.
The tiger was initially spotted by a local resident, Sijo Kallanil, at Palathumkadavu on Wednesday morning. Later, Suresh Maramveetil, who was tapping rubber in a nearby plantation, confirmed the sighting. The attempts to scare the tiger away with firecrackers proved futile raising concerns among the locals. Even though the presence of a tiger had been reported before, searches had yeilded no results.
Local residents have been informed to be cautious. Sunny Joseph, MLA, and district panchayat vice president Binoy Kurian urged the Divisional Forest Officer and Kottiyoor ranger to take quick action to allay fears of local people.
