Boy killed in third Kodagu tiger attack Â
Context:
- A boy was killed and his grandfather, a plantation worker, seriously injured in a tiger attack at Belluru village in Ponnampet taluk of Kodagu district.
- The victim was identified as Rangaswamy, 8, while his grandfather, Kencha, a plantation worker, has been hospitalised.
- The team has tracked the animal to a sacred grove or devara kaadu.
Details:
- This incident is the third human death due to a tiger attack in Kodagu in the last three weeks and has resulted in widespread anger against the authorities for their failure to curb human-animal conflict.
- The area is also known to constantly witness human-elephant conflicts. The local community has complained that at least 16 animals — mainly cattle — have been killed by the tiger on the prowl.
- Meanwhile, the State government has issued permission to shoot and put down the tiger if efforts to tranquilise and shift it fail.
Devara Kadu:
- Devara Kadu, or sacred groves, are a binding force between families and different communities.
- It is a small forest-like grove marked as the abode of the local deities.
- The network of sacred groves have an important ecological function - preserving the flow of water in the Kaveri river, and conserving the ecosystem services on the plateau.
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