The female tiger, estimated to be four to five years old, was spotted and tracked by a team of wildlife personnel in the early hours of Monday, but was later found motionless behind a house in an inhabited area at Pilakavu after daybreak.
A 'man-eater' tiger that killed a woman two days ago was found dead in Kerala's high-range district of Wayanad on Monday and an autopsy on the dead cat revealed the presence of the victim's hair, dress, and a pair of earrings in its stomach, forest officials said.
The woman who had gone to collect coffee beans on a forest-fringed estate was attacked by the tiger.
The female tiger, estimated to be four to five years old, was spotted and tracked by a team of wildlife personnel in the early hours of Monday, but was later found motionless behind a house in an inhabited area at Pilakavu after daybreak.
After a post-mortem was carried out later in the day, forest officials said that the fresh, deep wounds found on the neck of the carcass were the cause of its death.
It was assumed that the injuries occurred during a territorial fight with another tiger in the deep forest, they said.
Confirming it was the same tiger that had mauled the hapless woman Radha at the Pancharakolli area here on Saturday, her hair, dress, and a pair of earrings were found in its stomach during the post-mortem, officials said.
The death of the woman triggered widespread protest in the area, forcing the state government to declare the tiger as a 'man-eater' on Sunday and schedule it for culling.
A special team of wildlife personnel, led by Chief Veterinary Surgeon Dr Arun Zachariah, had been engaged in a relentless search mission in the area, working day and night to track the big cat.
Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Northern Circle, K S Deepa, said that an attempt was made to tranquilise the big cat in the wee hours of Monday, but it didn't succeed.
Later, the tiger was found dead in the Pilakavu area, she told reporters here.
"We recognised the presence of a tiger in the area at 12.30 AM. A forest department team, led by Dr Zachariah, was carrying out patrols and perambulation," she said.
"The team spotted the tiger by 2.30 am. Though they attempted to tranquillise it, the animal gave a slip. We continued the perambulation and later found the tiger dead," the CCF said, adding that there were injury marks on its carcass.
Zachariah said that the big cat might have reached the area after getting injured in a fight that occurred inside the forest.
"There were both fresh and old wounds on its body. There is a strong possibility that it had a fierce fight with other tigers," the expert said.
He also clarified that the wildlife officials were unable to tranquilise the tiger due to the nighttime conditions, despite spotting and tracking it for hours.
After the post-mortem of the carcass, Chief Wildlife Warden Pramod G Krishnan confirmed that the cause of death was assumed to be the four fresh wounds spotted on its neck.
It might have happened when the tiger engaged in a territorial infight with another big cat at a time it was forced to go into the deep forest here after the wildlife personnel intensified their search on Sunday, he said.
An expert panel of experienced doctors carried out the post-mortem, and representatives of the public, along with police personnel, were present during the procedure as per protocol, he said.
"It is sad to say. The hair, dress and two earrings of the deceased woman were found when its intestine was examined. So, we can say without any doubt that it was the same tiger," the officer added.
Forest Minister A K Saseendran, who faced the heat of protest by local people on Sunday when he visited the family of Radha, said the death of the big cat was news of relief for the people living in high ranges here, especially for those in Pancharakolli.
While talking to reporters in neighbouring Kozhikode, the minister also congratulated the wildlife officials who engaged in the mission to catch the tiger, risking their own lives.
Though the tiger that triggered a scare in Pancharakolli is dead, the search mission by the wildlife team will continue in all the areas where the presence of the big cat is suspected in Wayanad, he said.
Meanwhile, a high-level meeting, convened by the minister, decided to continue the search mission in the forest areas of the district till Thursday.
The special team of wildlife personnel would carry out the search by dividing the north and south forest divisions of the district as six zones, Saseendran said after the meeting held at the Forest Division office Mananthavady here.
Steps would be intensified to remove the undergrowths and erect solar hanging fencing in fringe areas, he said.
As many as 1,000 cameras would be installed in the district to closely monitor the movement and presence of wild animals, he said.
Saseendran also said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan congratulated the coordinated efforts taken by the forest, revenue, local self government and police departments in Pancharakolli after the tiger had mauled the hapless woman.
Local people of Pancharakolli distributed sweets to celebrate the death of the feline.
Authorities had imposed a curfew in certain areas of Mananthavady Municipality on Sunday, following the fatal tiger attack on the woman.
Forest Minister Saseendran declared the tiger a 'man-eater' following a high-level meeting at the district collectorate on Sunday.