Tiger Back In Siddipet, So Is Team To Catch It If Needed
Hyderabad: After crossing the border and making a brief foray into Karimnagar district on Sunday, the half-adult male tiger, which had kept the forest department and people in villages in the districts on alert, returned to Siddipet district on Monday.
The tiger, which killed a cow near Arepalli on Sunday, reportedly took shelter in the hills near Koheda mandal village. The area is home to thick scrub forests and several small waterholes. Meanwhile, Arepalli is about 6 km south of Shanigaram reservoir.
The tiger, which stayed in the Yadadri-Bhongir region for three weeks, was moved to Siddipet district three days ago. After crossing into Karimnagar district late on Sunday, raising alarm bells, he appears to have decided to stay in the relatively pristine bush forest area where he had taken shelter.
Arepalli sarpanch Chityala Baburaju told Deccan Chronicle that the area where the tiger took shelter was just two kilometers away from the village. “There is a stream, there are trees and it seems to have found a nice shelter there among the rocks. We are all worried about our life safety, but we follow the instructions of the forest officials,” he said.
Meanwhile, members of RES-Q, a Pune-based wildlife rescue group whose team captured a tiger near Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, reportedly reached Arepalli late on Monday night and were expected to assess the situation.
The Forest Department has so far said that it will not take any steps unless unavoidable to capture the tiger and allow it to move freely while it searches for a territory of its own, and if there are steps to be taken, they will be in accordance with the protocols set by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Forest department officials said they have advised people living in villages close to the area where the tiger is moving to be very careful and also take necessary steps to protect their cattle. The ministry said it continues to monitor the tiger’s whereabouts and used thermal drones to track its movements throughout the night.
