A male tiger that strayed into Telangana from Maharashtra's Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve and triggered panic in several villages for nearly a week was captured by forest officials in Andhra Pradesh yesterday (Feb 6).
The tiger had been moving through human habitations near Rajahmundry in East Godavari district for the past six days, killing cattle and alarming residents. However, the officials claimed that there were no attacks on humans.
A joint operation involving the Forest Department, the Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society (HyTICOS), and expert teams from Pune and Delhi was launched to track and capture the animal. The forest officials installed 25 trap cameras and conducted elaborate searches to track its route. After extensive monitoring, the tiger was finally located near the Kurmapuram village in Rayavaram mandal.
District Forest Officer B Prabhakara Rao said that the animal was first spotted near a deserted house. As villagers gathered, the frightened tiger ran into nearby fields and entered a cattle shed but did not harm the buffaloes inside. Forest personnel then fired three tranquilliser darts, one of which hit the tiger. It fled towards a nearby lake, where it was eventually subdued and captured.
The authorities had earlier advised residents within a one-kilometre radius to remain indoors to avoid disturbing the sensitive animal.
The police reportedly provided full support during the operation.
The tiger reportedly killed eight cattle during its movement through the region.
The animal will now be shifted to Visakhapatnam Zoo for further care.
With inputs from siasat.com