Migrated Tigers Creating Panic Among Farmers
Agricultural operations affected in border villages across two districts
Adilabad:Migrant tigers' movement has affected agricultural operations, especially cotton, in the bordering villages along the mandals sharing borders with Maharashtra in the Komaram Bheem Asifabad and Adilabad districts.
Cotton farmers regretted that their labourers, panicked by tiger movement, are not turning up for weed-removal operations, fertilizer spread and spraying of pesticides to the standing crops in their fields.
The farmers noticed tiger pugmarks in Vadoor and Arli (T) villages in Bheepur mandal in Adilabad district. Farmers also sighted tiger movement in Agarguda village in Penchikalpet mandal under the Kagaznagar forest division in the Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.
Villagers of Arli (T), Gunjala, Bheempur, Tamsi (K) and Gollaghat in Bheempur were affected by the tiger movement. Villagers sighted the tiger in Kankalamma gutta, off Shirasha tank in Kautala mandal.
The forest department pressed animal trackers into action and set up CCTV cameras to record their movements in strategic locations.
A farmer of Arli (T) said agricultural labourers have not been turning up for work in the last two days in villages along the borders.
Officials are spreading awareness among the farmers about the human-animal conflict and confrontations with tigers. They have advised the farmers to go to their agricultural fields only after 10am and return by 4pm.
Villagers sighted a tiger while returning to their home from the fields. One among them, a woman, fainted on seeing the tiger near her in Arli (T) village. Officials found the carcass of a wild boar in the Arli (T) village two days ago.
Tigers migrated into bordering villages in Bheempur mandal possibly from the Tipepshwar Tiger Reserve of Maharashtra, by crossing the Penganga river. FSO Mohapath Rao of Bheempur mandal said a tiger migrated to Bheempur from Thippeshwar, and that they were keeping track of its movements.
Forest officials confirmed the movement of two tigers, by tracking their pugmarks. One tiger was female, as was recorded in the camera traps in Arli (T) village. It killed a wild boar. The second could be a tiger cub or a leopard.
