Itinerant tiger leaves fresh pug marks in Jangaon district

The itinerant tiger which is moving around villages at the intersection of Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Jangaon and Siddipet districts, has left its latest traces at a village in Jangaon district.

A statement from the Forest Department informed that fresh pug marks of the tiger were found outside the Mandelagudem village in Raghunathpally mandal of Jangaon district on Friday.

The tiger, which started from the Pandharkawada division near Tippeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary at Yavatmal district in Maharashtra, entered Telangana’s Kawal Tiger Reserve towards late November 2025. After spending over two weeks in the reserve’s core area, the animal crossed the Godavari river and entered non-forest areas. 

Since then, it has wandered through several districts, solely surviving on cattle kills. For the past 20 days, the tiger has been moving in the aforementioned landscape, which is making the villagers in the vicinity agitated, leaving the Forest department officials in a tight spot.

The statement said residents in the mandals of Lingala Ghanpur, Raghunathpally, Narmetta, Jangaon, Devaruppala and Tarigoppula have been advised to follow safety protocols. Venturing outdoors is to be avoided unless necessary, especially during night hours, and if travel is required for emergencies, it is to be undertaken only in large groups.

Warnings have been issued against setting live electric wire traps, as they pose a danger to the tiger as well as the public. Cattle should be secured in safe shelters, people have been told. Acknowledging eight cattle kills by the tiger, the department has promised on-the-spot compensation as per the established norms.

Listing out the measures taken, the statement informed that specialised tiger rescue teams have been mobilised to assist local authorities in real time monitoring and assessment. Crowd control measures are being taken to ensure safety of the tiger and the public.

If the situation warrants, capture will be considered under the standard operating procedures of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the note informed. The department has categorically denied ‘unverified rumours’ such as presence of multiple tigers, and territorial marking by the tiger at the location.