Tiger trapped in cage near Gudalur; efforts on to relocate it to Vandalur zoo

A tiger was caught in a cage set up by the Forest Department near Gudalur on Thursday (October 22, 2026), following a similar capture in September this year. Efforts are under way to transport it to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur.

In the Nilgiris district, particularly in the Gudalur taluk, human-wildlife conflict has been on the rise, primarily due to encounters with elephants, tigers, and bears. In the month of August alone, two people lost their lives in suspected tiger attacks.

This led to a public protest demanding that the government and the Forest Department capture the tiger and relocate it to a remote forest area. The Forest Department installed camera traps and 13 cages, and on September 18, the tiger suspected of having killed the two people was trapped. The Forest Department then relocated the tiger to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur.

Meanwhile, an old tiger was found roaming the area, raising fears of further attacks. The Forest Department stepped up surveillance and set up cages at five locations. In the early hours of Thursday, the old tiger was trapped in a cage set up in the Havallah area, near Silver Cloud. The Forest Department confirmed that the tiger was a male, and efforts were under way to relocate it to the Vandalur zoo.