Opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly, VD Satheesan on Saturday said the people of the hilly regions in the state are living in fear for their lives and in penury as they are unable to leave their homes for their livelihood.

Speaking to media persons in Kochi, Satheesan said the Left front government in the state has failed to protect the lives and property of people from wild animal attacks.

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He accused the Pinarayi Vijayan government of being complacent on the issue of protecting the people and their property from wild animal attacks

Satheesan claimed that there were over 60,000 wild animal attacks in Kerala in the last 6-7 years which resulted in around 1,000 human deaths.

“Besides that, over 8,000 people suffered serious injuries, more than 5,000 cattle were killed and crops in over 10,000 hectares of land were destroyed in the attacks,” he claimed

Meanwhile, the body of Radha, the 48-year-old tribal woman, who was mauled to death by a tiger at Priyadarshini Estate in Panchara Kolli, 10 km from Mananthavady town, in Wayanad district of Kerala on Friday, was cremated on Saturday.

Radha’s tragic death led to strong protests by the local residents at Mananthavady forest office. They demanded that the tiger should be shot dead immediately. They said that they were being fooled again and that they would not let the tiger go alive.

A 48-year-old tribal woman was mauled to death by a tiger at Priyadarshini Estate in Panchara Kolli, 10 km from Mananthavady town, in Wayanad district of Kerala on Friday.

The victim, identified as Radha, had gone to pick coffee beans at a private estate in the morning and had fallen prey to the feline attack. She was found dead in the forests close to her settlement.

Her husband, Achappan, works as a forest watcher. On Friday morning, Radha’s husband dropped her on the main road, near the coffee estate owned by a private individual.

As Radha was walking towards her workplace, the tiger attacked her.According to police, the state anti-Maoist force, Thunderbolt, found the woman’s body during routine surveillance. The body was found partially eaten by the tiger.

The issue of man-animal conflict across Kerala, especially in areas bordering the forests, has become a major issue. The Kerala Assembly witnessed a heated debate on the issue on Thursday.

Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan alleged that the LDF government has failed to rise to the occasion to handle this vexed issue, and said during 2019-20, the number of man-animal conflicts which stood at 6,341 rose to 9,838 cases during 2023-24.

Earlier this week, Forest officials in Wayanad caged a tiger that had forayed into human settlements in search of prey. Recurring incidents of human casualties have been reported in the state from attacks from wild animals, mainly elephants.

A wild jumbo killed Ajeesh, a resident of Padamala in Wayanad on February 10, 2024. Paul, 52, a native of Vellachal near Pakkam in Wayanad was killed in a wild elephant attack on February 16, last year.

In December 2023, a youth was mauled to death by a tiger near district headquarters, Kalpetta. Then, Prajeesh, was attacked while he went to collect fodder. In the last 10 years, this is the eighth incident that a person has been killed by a tiger in Wayanad district.