Man mauled to death by tiger while tapping rubber trees in Malappuram, Kerala

A 55-year-old rubber tapping worker was found dead in a suspected tiger attack in the early hours of Thursday, intensifying concerns over rising human-wildlife conflicts in Kerala, according to local media.

The deceased, identified as Gaffur, a resident of Adakkakundu, was on his way to tap rubber trees when the incident occurred near a forest area.

According to local sources, Gaffur was accompanied by another tapping worker who witnessed the tiger dragging him into the forest and immediately alerted the authorities.

A complaint was filed at the Kalikavu police station, prompting an immediate joint search operation by the police and forest department. After hours of combing through the dense forest terrain — accessible only on foot due to lack of roads — Gaffur’s body was discovered nearly five kilometres from the site of the attack.

The tragic death has cast a pall of gloom over the local community. Police have initiated legal proceedings while forest officials have launched an investigation to track the tiger and assess the circumstances of the attack.

This incident adds to a troubling pattern of human-wildlife confrontations in the state. In a recent tragedy in Kannur’s Aralam Farm area, an elderly tribal couple — Velli (80) and Leela (72) — were trampled to death by a wild elephant while collecting cashew nuts near their home, just 600 meters from a Rapid Response Team office.

Earlier this year, a tiger that had killed a woman named Radha in Wayanad’s Pancharakolly region was later found dead, underscoring the rising tensions between local communities and wildlife.

As such encounters become increasingly common, authorities are under growing pressure to enhance forest monitoring and implement effective safety measures for those living and working near forest borders.