Elusive Tiger Captured

The tiger has been on a killing spree, targeting cattle in recent days. It was first spotted on January 21, after which it visited several areas mainly in Eluru and East Godavari districts. Following this, the chief wildlife warden had given foresters the permission to capture it.

Teams of foresters with the aid of latest gadgets like thermal drones, 4G camera traps and trap cages have been following the brisk movements of the tiger in the last few days.

On Friday, the tiger killed a cattle calf and entered a cattle shed that had two huge buffaloes at Kurmapuram village. The big cat started to roar, drawing the attention of the local villagers who quickly alerted the forest authorities.

High drama unfolded from 12.30 pm, with the foresters setting up a cage, fixing nets and flood lights and preparing shots of the tranquilliser. The teams waited at the high-rise strategic locations to avoid any chance of a miss.

Around 6.30pm, the tiger came out from the cattle shed due to commotion and ran into the farm fields. At this juncture, it was hit with the dart of a tranquilliser. “It moved a bit and slipped into sedation. It lay down on the bund of a tank. The foresters rushed to the spot, picked the tiger up and carried it to the cage," the officials said.

The foresters said they would closely monitor the tiger’s health by moving it to the Nagaravanam. From there, the tiger may be moved to the Visakhapatnam zoo after getting permission from the national tiger conservation authority.

Forest conservator B.N.N. Murthy said, “We have captured the tiger safely and successfully and we will take up further steps as per norms.”