Kalpetta: For the first time in the state, the forest department is attempting to capture a family of four tigers—one tigress and her three cubs—with the help of a single cage. The animals roaming in Anappara village and areas near Chundel have been a terror for the past week. The tigress recently killed a cow near the Anappara estate bungalow in addition to killing three cows earlier.

A massive cage trap, 32 feet long and 10 feet high, was brought from Mysuru, Karnataka, to capture the animals as no such large trap was available locally. The cage arrived by a special truck on Tuesday afternoon, and a team of forest officials led by South Wayanad DFO Ajith K Raman set it along the tigers’ trail by twilight.

To lure the tigers, the remains of the cow killed recently have been placed inside the cage. Sightings of the tigers around the village have been recorded since October 20. On the morning of October 21, the carcasses of three cows were found near the estate bungalow, causing concern among villagers who rely heavily on cattle rearing.

The forest department team confirmed tiger bite marks on the cows, which belonged to Variyathparambil Noufal of Anappara, who estimated the cattle to be worth several lakhs. Surveillance cameras were installed following this, and to their shock, forest staff found four tigers, including cubs around one-and-a-half years old, in the footage. On October 22, images of two tigers were captured on camera, and further sightings continued through October 24.

South Wayanad DFO Ajith K Raman noted that the tigress was not previously recorded in the department's database. "It was seen near the Ghat section along NH 766 last year and gradually moved to its current location," he said, clarifying that the animal appeared healthy with no signs of handicap.

Discussing the strategy, Raman said this mission is unique and risky, as capturing all four tigers at once is unprecedented for the department. "In previous cases, we only had single problem animals. If we capture only the mother, the cubs would be orphaned, as tigers typically leave their mothers at around two years of age. While capturing an individual tiger is challenging, trapping a group is considerably more difficult,” he said.

The team’s main concern is that if they trap one or two sub-adults first, the tigress and remaining cub may escape, and they expect the tigress may attempt to free any trapped cubs. To counter this, the department plans to first capture the mother in a smaller enclosure within the larger trap.

Once she is secured, the cage will be shifted, and when the cubs enter, the trap’s doors will close. If successful, this mission will stand as one of the rarest tiger-capturing operations worldwide.