AMARAVATI, Andhra Pradesh — Forest officials in Andhra Pradesh on Friday captured a tiger that had been roaming near human settlements in East Godavari district for nearly a week, ending days of fear among residents in villages surrounding Rajahmundry.
The tiger was tranquilized and captured at Kurmapuram village in Rayavaram mandal following a prolonged operation involving specialized forest teams and wildlife experts brought in from outside the state. Officials said the animal was subdued near a lake after a carefully coordinated effort.
According to the Forest Department, the tiger had earlier been spotted in the backyard of an abandoned house near the village, prompting officials to intensify surveillance and begin a capture operation. District Forest Officer B. Prabhakara Rao said the animal became startled due to movement and noise from nearby residents, fled into agricultural fields, and later entered a cattle shed.
Despite the presence of two buffaloes in the shed, the tiger did not attack them. Officials fired three tranquilizer darts during the operation, one of which successfully sedated the animal. The tiger then moved toward a nearby lake, where it was safely secured.
Authorities said arrangements were being made to transport the tiger to the Visakhapatnam Zoo for further care and assessment.
As a precaution, residents within a one-kilometer radius of the operation site were asked to remain indoors. Forest officials repeatedly appealed to the public not to obstruct the animal’s movement, noting that tigers are highly sensitive to disturbance.
Police provided full logistical support during the operation, officials said.
Forest Department officials confirmed that the tiger did not attack any humans during its time in the area. However, it killed eight head of cattle over the past six days in villages around Rajahmundry, triggering panic and prompting the launch of an extensive search and monitoring effort.
As part of the operation, forest teams conducted round-the-clock patrols in affected villages and installed 25 camera traps along suspected movement corridors, cattle kill sites, and water sources to track the tiger’s location.
The decision to tranquilize the animal was taken by an expert committee constituted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority to prevent further incidents. Wildlife specialists from Pune-based RESQ Trust, along with other experienced tiger rescue teams, assisted in monitoring and planning the capture.
Officials believe the tiger originated from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra and may have entered the region after moving through Telangana and Chhattisgarh. (Source: IANS)
