Another tiger makes Mancherial forests its home

Mancherial: In a welcome sign, the forests of the district continue to attract tigers from neighbouring landscapes, and resident tigers are moving freely without harm during their extended stay.

An adult female tiger from the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra migrated to the district during last year’s winter and has since settled in the forests of the Luxettipet range, marking the first such presence in the recent past. Named L1, the tigress has occasionally killed cattle, although her long stay has encouraged Forest officials.

Similarly, another female tiger, believed to have drifted from Maharashtra, has been moving between Kasipet mandal and Tiryani mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district for the past five months. It was first sighted in the forests of Mancherial district in July and continues to kill cattle in the two mandals, causing concern among villagers.

“However, the tiger is now marking boundaries of its territory, spraying urine, rubbing against trees and depositing scats in different parts of the wild. Probably, it is creating a territory spreading in the two mandals. Unlike L1, it is on a spree of cattle killings. The reason behind its peculiar behaviour needs to be studied,” a forest official said.

Meanwhile, resident tigers are roaming freely in the forests of a region once known for poaching of carnivores. At least three tigers were killed in different parts of the district between 2016 and 2023. One tiger was accidentally electrocuted after coming into contact with an electrified snare set by wildlife hunters at Rangapet village in Bellampalli mandal in 2018-2019.

In January 2019, a Royal Bengal tiger was poached in the forests of Shivvaram in Jaipur mandal. Earlier, a male tiger named Phalugna died after touching an electrical snare in the forests of Pinnaram in Kotapalli mandal in November 2016. The accused hunters were arrested and officials placed under suspension for negligence in protecting the tigers.

Forest officials attributed the arrival of more tigers to a series of measures taken to ensure the safety of wild animals. They said patrolling had been intensified, awareness among villagers increased and cases filed against habitual offenders.