Idukki, 8 June

A tiger and a dog got trapped together in a nine feet deep pit near Mayiladumparai close to the Tamil Nadu border on Sunday morning were rescued after being tranquilised, the forest department said.

Both animals fell in the pit, while the tiger was chasing the dog, a senior forest official said in the morning.

The tiger was tranquilised in the afternoon, and pulled out of the pit using a net. Forest personnel then transferred the animal into a waiting cage, the official said.

The dog too had to be tranquilised as it started barking when the tiger got darted, preventing it from going off to sleep, the official said.

Both animals were unhurt from the fall into the pit, he added.

The tiger will be examined for any physical problem and if found healthy, would be released into the Periyar sanctuary, he said.

Photographs aired on TV channels show both animals in the pit close to each other.

The information about the incident was received around 7 am and forest personnel were immediately dispatched to the site located between the Tamil Nadu forest reserve and the Periyar sanctuary, the official said.

He also said that it was not an area where tigers were usually seen.