Hyderabad: The tiger that created fear and panic among villagers in Telangana’s Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district for the past two weeks appears to be heading back to its original habitat in Maharashtra, Forest Department officials said on Monday, February 2, even as it has already killed several livestock in its journey down south.
Forest officials inspected the cages set up on the outskirts of Gandamalla village on Monday, a day after the tiger attacked and killed a calf belonging to a farmer named Narsimhulu. Since Sunday, February 1, the tiger has been feeding on its kill, officials said.
The big cat’s pugmarks were first seen in Begumpeta village on January 17 by a farmer and later that night, it killed a calf at Ibrahimpur village, sparking anxiety among residents.
It then moved towards the south and reached Ralla Jangaon village of Yadadri mandal, where it killed another calf. The tiger returned towards the north and attacked a cow at Dattaipally village. It again moved towards Kondapur, Srinivasapur and Chinna Laxmipuram, and on Sunday, struck the calf at Gandlamalla village.
The tiger is currently in the forest of Gandlamalla, officials from the Forest Department said, adding that they believe that it may not have found the terrain suitable to establish territory and could be returning to Maharashtra or seeking another habitat.
Forest trackers are monitoring a tiger’s movements through the reserve. Using drone cameras, they’ve been able to track the animal as it made its way from Siddipet into Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, having originally travelled from Maharashtra.
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