Overview

• Gafoor Ali, a 44-year-old rubber tapper, was killed by a tiger on May 15 while working near Kalikavu in Malappuram district, sparking local outrage.
• The Forest Department has launched a large-scale operation involving tranquiliser squads, kumki elephants, drones, and camera traps to locate the tiger.
• Authorities have notified the National Tiger Conservation Authority and formed a committee to assess whether the tiger should be declared a man-eater and eliminated if capture fails.
• The state government has disbursed the first tranche of ₹10 lakh in compensation to the victim's family and promised temporary employment for a family member.
• Residents accuse forest officials of ignoring prior warnings about wildlife threats, highlighting ongoing tensions in Kerala’s forest buffer zones.