Coimbatore: Tension gripped Valparai, a tea-growing town on the slopes of the Western Ghats near Coimbatore, after a 10-year-old male tiger sneaked into a cowshed in a thickly-populated locality early Friday morning.
However, the lone cow in the shed not only resisted the tiger’s attack but also managed to injure it severely. Unable to walk, the tiger was confined to the cowshed till late in the evening, when a veterinarian tranquilized it.
Valparai is ringed by forests including the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and frequent attacks by leopards and elephants have been reported from here in the past. However, this isthe first time in recent years that a tiger has entered a homestead.
R Gnanasekaran, a resident of Periyar Nagar in Valaparai, was the first person to notice the animal in his cowshed at around 6.30am.
His cow was taking on the tiger that had entered the shed expecting an easy prey. The tiger had killed a calf owned by Gnanasekaran two days ago and left the half-eaten carcass behind. Forest officials said the animal may have returned to retrieve the kill. The big cat sustained gashes in its thigh and abdomen whereas the cow suffered only minor injuries.
Gnanasekaran had thought the calf was killed by a leopard, common in the area, and buried the carcass. Forest officials have since confirmed that the tiger that appeared on Friday morning had killed the calf two days earlier.
Though the tiger couldn’t move, its periodic growls and snarls left the crowd that had gathered at Gnansekaran’s house wondering whether the animal would attack.
Forest officials led by Manampally range officer Arokiaraj Xavier and Valparai range officer Krishnaswami had a tough time controlling the rush of people. At noon, they tried to trap the tiger in a net and shift it to a cage but failed.
The wait lasted until forest veterinary assistant surgeon Dr N Kalaivanan arrived from Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in the Nilgiris by 6.30pm.
Though Valaparai is prone to frequent attacks by wild animals, veterinarians with expertise in the use of tranquilizers were not available in the town or in neighbouring areas.
By sunset, Kalaivanan tranquilised the tiger and the animal was shifted to a cage. Forest officials will keep the tiger in captivity in Manampally forest range office under the observation of Kalaivanan until it recoversfrom the injuries.
However, the lone cow in the shed not only resisted the tiger’s attack but also managed to injure it severely. Unable to walk, the tiger was confined to the cowshed till late in the evening, when a veterinarian tranquilized it.
Valparai is ringed by forests including the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and frequent attacks by leopards and elephants have been reported from here in the past. However, this isthe first time in recent years that a tiger has entered a homestead.
R Gnanasekaran, a resident of Periyar Nagar in Valaparai, was the first person to notice the animal in his cowshed at around 6.30am.
His cow was taking on the tiger that had entered the shed expecting an easy prey. The tiger had killed a calf owned by Gnanasekaran two days ago and left the half-eaten carcass behind. Forest officials said the animal may have returned to retrieve the kill. The big cat sustained gashes in its thigh and abdomen whereas the cow suffered only minor injuries.
Gnanasekaran had thought the calf was killed by a leopard, common in the area, and buried the carcass. Forest officials have since confirmed that the tiger that appeared on Friday morning had killed the calf two days earlier.
Though the tiger couldn’t move, its periodic growls and snarls left the crowd that had gathered at Gnansekaran’s house wondering whether the animal would attack.
Forest officials led by Manampally range officer Arokiaraj Xavier and Valparai range officer Krishnaswami had a tough time controlling the rush of people. At noon, they tried to trap the tiger in a net and shift it to a cage but failed.
The wait lasted until forest veterinary assistant surgeon Dr N Kalaivanan arrived from Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in the Nilgiris by 6.30pm.
Though Valaparai is prone to frequent attacks by wild animals, veterinarians with expertise in the use of tranquilizers were not available in the town or in neighbouring areas.
By sunset, Kalaivanan tranquilised the tiger and the animal was shifted to a cage. Forest officials will keep the tiger in captivity in Manampally forest range office under the observation of Kalaivanan until it recoversfrom the injuries.
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