Malappuram : A body of a 55-year-old tapping worker was found in Kerala's Malappuram. According to the locals, the deceased was dragged by a tiger and has been identified as Gaffur, who is a resident of Adakkakund.
The incident took place in the early hours of Thursday when the victim was on his way to tap the rubber trees. The incident was noticed by another tapping worker who accompanied Gaffor and informed the police.
A complaint was lodged regarding the incident at the Kalikavu police station, after which the police officials launched an investigation. After an extensive search, the police officials found the body of the deceased five kilometres away from the incident site within the forest area.
Due to the lack of road access to the forest border, the police team had to trek to the location on foot. The death of Gafoor, who was attacked by a tiger while at work, has plunged the locality into grief. The police are proceeding with further legal procedures. Forest department officials have also initiated an investigation into the incident.
There have been a lot of cases of wildlife and human conflict in Kerala in the past few months. The latest case that came to light was of a tribal couple were trampled to death by a wild elephant in the Aralam farm of Kannur. The incident sparked protests between the locals.
The incident took place when Velli (80) and his wife Leela (72) both residents of Block 13 at Aralam farm, were attacked and killed by an elephant while they were collecting cashew nuts on their land, just 600m from the Rapid Response Team (RRT) office.
The rising incidents of human-wildlife conflicts in the state have raised several concerns among people. Authorities have been working to ensure such incidents are prevented in the future.
In a similar incident on January 27, a tiger that had been on the loose in Wayanad had been found dead in the forest area near Mananthavady. As per the Forest Department, the tiger had attacked and killed a woman identified as Radha in Pancharakoli which had led to widespread panic in the region.