Tiger on the prowl keeps residents of Andhra Pradesh's Anakapalle, forest officials on their toes

VISAKHAPATNAM: It has become a challenging task for the Forest Department officials to catch the royal Bengal male tiger, which has been on the prowl in Anakapalle district for the last three weeks.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Visakhapatnam District Forest Officer Anant Shankar on Saturday said they came close to catching the tiger on Friday. The big cat tried to kill a cattle near Elluppi reserve forest, but failed in its attempt.

They checked the bite marks on the cattle and found they were of a  tiger. Later, the forest officials set up a cage near the place with a cattle trap to catch the tiger. However, the tiger did not turn up in the night. No further pug marks were found on Saturday. "There was no information from any village about fresh kill or pug marks," he said.

He said they have taken maximum efforts to catch the tiger in Anakapalle and Sabbavaram areas. But they had to tread cautiously as the tiger was moving close to human habitats and the national highway. Even chemical immobilisation was planned, but it may cause injury to the tiger and prove costly both for tiger and humans as well.  It is, he said, only the last resort.

Ananta Shankar, who has experience as a deputy director of tiger reserve forest, has been utilising all resources available to catch the tiger. He had also undergone training in tiger management.Anant Shankar said they were using the services of a two-member team from Bengaluru to use thermal drones for tracking the tiger.

The problem is the tiger was not visiting the kill for the second time due to disturbance in the area.  It visited only Vissannapeta in Kasimkota mandal for the second time. The tiger avoids areas where there is a lot of movement of people. Hence, the officials restricted movement of people wherever the tiger killed the cattle, he said.

When people saw the tiger crossing the road at Gandhavaram, it made a hasty retreat after people made a lot of noise. The tiger was first spotted in East Godavari district. Later, it moved forward via Chodavaram, Yelamanchili, Kotauratla, Kasimkota, K Kotapadu and Sabbavaram in Anakapalle district. The tiger is reportedly at Elluppi reserve forest in Pendurti forest section of Anakapalle division. The tiger has killed cattle at Bauluvada, Vissannapeta, Gandhavaram and Chintalapalem.