Sabarimala: A tiger was spotted dangerously close to the pilgrims’ path to Sabarimala over the past two days, prompting the forest department to warn the travelers against venturing to the Urakkuzhi area after dark. Those who camp at Pandithavalam and trek through Pullumedu have been advised extreme caution.
The tiger was first spotted by the Rapid Action Force personnel guarding a reservoir at Pandithavaam after Wednesday midnight. They immediately alerted the authorities on wireless to prevent any travelers from going near the water body.
Forest officers including station officer V A Rajeev and assistant station officer V Surendrakumar inspected the spot in the morning and confirmed the presence of the predator. They said the pugmarks matched those found near a stream at Urakkuzhi three days ago.
The tiger was spotted again at Kochupamba on Thursday evening. Employees of the Kerala State Electricity Board saw the animal close to a 11 kV line. The tiger fled the scene but reappeared later to kill a cow in the village.
Forest officers inspected this area as well. The area is a part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve east division.
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