Kalpetta: A male tiger recently entered residential areas within the Chembra forest range, including Anappara, posing a significant challenge for the forest department. It appears that a family of four tigers has been relocating frequently from Anappara, likely due to the male tiger’s presence. This recurring intrusion is complicating the forest department's Operation Royal Stripes, aimed at capturing the tiger family. Officials are also concerned that direct encounters between the male tiger and the other tigers could lead to aggressive behavior.

On Thursday night, the male tiger was spotted in Odathode and Perumthatta, roughly 1.5 kilometers from Anappara. Locals reported seeing the tiger near Puthipadi in Odathode early the previous morning. However, a search for its tracks yielded no evidence. Subsequently, the forest department confirmed that the male tiger has returned to the Chembra forest area.

In response, officials have placed 23 camera traps and 3 AI cameras around Anappara to monitor the tiger family, which has been identified within a 2 km radius of the area. Drones are also being used to track their movements. A team led by South Wayanad DFO Ajith K. Raman, alongside Forest Veterinary Officers Dr. Arun Zakaria and Dr. Ajesh Mohandas, and Meppadi Range Officer D. Harilal, has set up a temporary base in the area. Rapid Action Force personnel from Meppadi and Kalpetta have also been deployed to Anappara to enhance safety measures.

The tiger family initially sparked panic in Anappara when a mother tiger and three cubs were sighted on the 20th, followed by the discovery of three dead cows near an estate bungalow the next morning. The forest department later confirmed that a tiger was responsible for the cows' deaths.