Tiger Makes Its Way From Kawal Into Kamareddy, Sparks Concerns On Its Safety

HYDERABAD:  Five months after a tiger that entered Kamareddy district from the forests in Mancherial district in July ‘disappeared’ after a few days, a second tiger has entered the Kamareddy district.

The second tiger is believed to be a young male, and its presence came to the notice of the forest department officials after it killed two calves within a day. The tiger was seen moving around in the Jannaram area of the Kawal tiger reserve from where it moved south and made its way into Kamareddy.

“The carcass of the first calf it killed was moved, likely by the cattle owner, in the Machareddy forest area and the tiger did not go back to feed on it. Subsequently it killed another calf. We are keeping a watch on its movements,” Kamareddy district forest officer (DFO) Nikita Boga said on Monday.

Kawal tiger reserve field director S. Shantharam said a team was sent to Machareddy to track the second tiger.

“From the size of its pugmarks, we presume it is a male. It entered the Karjeli (also referred to as Kerameri) range through the 500 hectares of forest land which the department retrieved from encroachments. This is one of the five tigers that entered the KB Asifabad district from Maharasthra forests,” Shantharam said.

Asked about the disappearance of the first so-called ‘July tiger’ in Kamareddy district, DFO Boga said that it was tracked for some days after which foresters could not find any evidence of its presence. “It may have gone back the way it came, or moved to another district,” the official said.