Pawan Kalyan lauds forest officials for safe capture of transient tiger

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Forest and Environment K. Pawan Kalyan on Monday appreciated forest officials involved in the tiger operation for capturing the transient tiger without any human loss.

On February 6, personnel of the Rajahmundry Wildlife Division, with the support of experts from the Pune-based RESQ Trust, tranquilised the tiger at Kurmapuram village in East Godavari district. The operation came 53 days after the tiger began roaming across four States since mid-December 2025, namely Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

In a letter of commendation to the Forest Department, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said, “The manner in which the sensitive and prolonged operation was carried out, with a scientific approach, meticulous planning and flawless coordination, without any loss of human life or harm to the animal, reflects the high level of professionalism, leadership and commitment of the Forest Department.” He added that the operation stood as a notable example of effective human-wildlife conflict management.

Meanwhile, a crucial meeting scheduled to be attended by tiger conservationists and experts from the Wildlife Institute of India for the rehabilitation of the tranquilised tiger has been postponed to Tuesday. The tiger is currently under the control of the Animal Rescue Centre in Visakhapatnam.