Tiger on the move in northern Telangana is not from Tipeshwar, say Maharashtra forest officials

The tiger which has been giving sleepless nights to the villages of Telangana as well as Telangana Forest department officials for over two months now, is not from Tipeshwar sanctuary, as widely assumed.

Forest officials from Maharashtra have confirmed that the animal was not from Tipeshwar. “We got an image of the tiger, and matched it with our database. It’s not from here,” said Adarsh Reddy, the Field Director, Project Tiger, of Melghat Tiger Reserve under whose purview the Tipeshwar sanctuary falls.

The image has been sent to Chandrapur forest officials to see if it matches any of the big cats originating from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve and its surroundings. Chandrapur district has over 150 tigers moving in areas outside the tiger reserve, closer to villages.

Telangana forest officials initially thought the feline was a sub-adult crossing over to Kawal Tiger Reserve from Tipeshwar sanctuary. However, the male tiger later was confirmed as a young adult estimated to be of close to five years of age. The animal is said to have crossed over to Mancherial from Kawal over two months ago, and has since been continuously on the move across the northern part of the State, majorly in non-forest areas.

So far, its movements have been found in Mancherial, Nirmal, Asifabad, Kamareddy, Siddipet, Sircilla, Karimnagar, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Jangaon and other districts. It has killed and fed on only cattle, which is creating fear and panic among farmers. As per official information, it is now moving in non-forest areas of Siddipet district.

A committee constituted with officials from the National Tiger Conservation Authority and wildlife NGOs is monitoring the situation, by continuously tracking the big cat from close quarters, using thermal imaging drones and camera traps, apart from tracing of pug marks and other markings.

Officials also informed that efforts have been stepped up to capture the animal in view of a plethora of complaints about its depredations.