Wayanad (Kerala) | A 47-year-old woman was killed in a tiger attack at Priyadarshini Estate at Mananthavady village in this district on Friday morning, sparking intense protests by locals in the area.

The incident occurred a day after Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran claimed in the state assembly that human-animal conflicts were declining in the state and the government was taking effective action.

Following the incident, the forest minister told reporters here that orders have been issued to capture or kill the feline.

Saseendran also said that as a consequence of the incident, people were protesting and O R Kelu, the Minister for the Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, has reached the spot to speak to the protestors.

The woman was mauled by the tiger while she was out plucking coffee in the morning, the district administration said.

The body was found by forest officials during a routine patrolling, Saseendran said.

The locals expressed their protest before minister Kelu by not allowing the body of the woman to be taken for postmortem, according to visuals aired on TV channels.

Many women workers of the estate told Kelu the tiger should be captured or killed.

The minister assured all efforts will be made to capture the tiger.

He also said that despite a project for setting up fencing in the area, nothing has been done.

"It will be implemented," he said and urged the people to release the body of the woman for carrying out further procedures.

The minister also said that steps, including deployment of RRT (Rapid Response Team) units, will be taken to ensure the maximum possible protection for the people of the area.