Papikondalu Tourist Footfall Impacted Due To Tiger Presence
The fear of the elusive tiger roaming has not only triggered panic among tribal villagers, but it has also impacted the tourist footfall at Papikondalu as the forest entry has been closed.
Polavaram: The fear of the elusive tiger roaming in the region has not only triggered panic among tribal villagers it has also impacted the tourist footfall at Papikondalu in the Polavaram district of Andhra Pradesh.
Forest officials said the tiger has been spotted in Paragasanipadu, Kudipalli, and Bodigudem villages. Due to this, the road to the Gandi Pochamma temple in Devipatnam has been closed, cutting off access for visitors. The closure has significantly impacted tourism in the region, with Papikondalu witnessing a steep drop in daily footfall. Tribal communities also continue to remain on high alert as monitoring continues.
Meanwhile, rescue operations are underway to capture the big cat. On Thursday, forest teams tried until midnight but failed to catch the animal, which has been roaming in the region for almost three months. Officials state that the dense forest cover is making the task extremely challenging. The tiger’s movements are being tracked through its radio collar and drone cameras, while the HANUMAN teams and wildlife experts are leading the operation to catch the tiger in coordination with the senior forest department officials.
This article is written by Yashwanth Rodda, a student of IIT Hyderabad currently interning with Deccan Chronicle.
