Foresters Move To Recapture Tiger Near East Godavari

Principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden P.V. Chalapathi Rao has given permission for the tiger to be captured and shifted back to the Visakhapatnam Zoo.

Three teams of forest officials, along with personnel from the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve and officials from the police and revenue departments, have joined the operation. The teams are using drones, VHF antennas, cages and tranquillisers to track the animal in accordance with the National Tiger Conservation Authority protocol.

The tiger, believed to have strayed from forests in Chhattisgarh, entered Andhra Pradesh in the third week of January and was spotted in parts of the erstwhile West Godavari district. It was captured using a tranquilliser dart at Kurmapuram village in Rayavaram mandal of East Godavari district on February 6.

After being kept briefly at the Visakhapatnam Zoo, it was released into Papikonda National Park. However, the animal has since been repeatedly spotted near villages and is reported to have killed several cattle.

The tiger was sighted near Masampalli village in Sankavaram mandal on Sunday morning and later moved towards the Tuni area, narrowly missing a cage set by forest officials. It is now believed to be moving towards Annavaram.

Forest authorities said the tiger appears unable to settle in the Papikonda landscape and has been straying frequently into human settlements, raising concerns for both public safety and the animal’s welfare.

Additional principal chief conservator of forests Shanti Priya Pande said the decision to recapture the tiger was taken to ensure the safety of people and the animal.

Four veterinarians from Tirupati Zoo are expected to join the operation on Monday, while a veterinarian from Visakhapatnam Zoo is already assisting the forest teams.