Residents panic as tigers visit coffee estate

Tigers had recently come to a coffee plantation at Kutta in Virajpet taluk in Kodagu district, causing consternation among the residents.

The big cats came to the plantation owned by Mukkatira Shivu Madappa, adjoining the Nagarahole tiger sanctuary. They had killed a calf and abandoned the half-eaten carcass. Officials of the forest department reached the spot and decided to bury the carcass.

 However, on the suggestion of the owner of the plantation, the officials left the carcass as it is, to see if the felines return to eat the leftover. CCTV cameras were installed around the place. Fours tigers returned to the spot in the night and ate up the leftover flesh. The forest officials are analysing the CCTV footage so that they can trace the tigers.