The Chief Wildlife Warden of Tamil Nadu has ordered the capture of a tiger that killed a second person in Lauriston in O’Valley range in the Gudalur forest division on Friday (August 21, 2026).
The animal had earlier attacked and killed M. Balakrishnan, 58, on August 9, 2026 while he was trying to get water for his agricultural field from a stream near his house. Following the incident, drones were deployed to track the tiger responsible for the attack, but the efforts went in vain.
On Friday, a second confirmed attack led to the death of K. Ravikumar, 51, a resident of Lauriston Number 4, Vattaparai, Choondi. Officials said that investigations conducted at the site of the attack showed that a tiger had killed Ravikumar, while camera traps placed around the area following the earlier death also confirmed the presence of a tiger.
Local residents staged a protest on Friday after Ravikumar’s death, condemning the Forest Department and the State Government for their inaction in capturing the tiger. The Chief Wildlife Warden of Tamil Nadu has since ordered the capture of the tiger, following applications he had received from the local Divisional Forest Officer and Conservator of Forests (Nilgiris). Efforts to capture the animal have already begun with the placing of four cages and 22 camera traps in the surrounding area.
Published – August 21, 2026 11:50 pm IST
