Papikondalu Tourist Footfall Impacted Due To Tiger Presence

Polavaram: The fear of the elusive tiger roaming the area has not only triggered panic among tribal villagers but also affected the influx of tourists to Papikondalu in Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram district.

Forest officials said the tiger was spotted in Paragasanipadu, Kudipalli and Bodigudem villages. Therefore, the road to the Gandhi Pochamma temple in Devipatnam was closed, cutting off access to visitors. The closure significantly affected tourism in the region; There has been a huge decline in the number of daily visitors in Papikondalu. Tribal communities remain on high alert as monitoring continues.

Meanwhile, rescue efforts continue to capture the big cat. Forest teams worked until midnight on Thursday, but could not catch the animal, which had been wandering in the area for about three months. Officials say dense forest cover makes the task extremely challenging. While the tiger’s movements are being monitored through a radio collar and drone cameras, HANUMAN teams and wildlife experts are also managing the operation to capture the tiger in coordination with senior forest department officials.

This article is written by IIT Hyderabad student Yashwanth Rodda, who is currently interning at Deccan Chronicle.