Elusive tiger moves west towards Vithalapur, villagers put on alert in Siddipet

An elusive tiger has moved west towards Vithalapur village in Siddipet district after staying in a reserve forest near Gundaram and Chowdaram. Fresh pug marks were found in Anantharam Kunta, prompting alerts and intensified monitoring by forest officials.

Hyderabad: After staying put in the reserve forest between Gundaram and Chowdaram villages, of Chinna Kondur mandal in Siddipet, the elusive tiger moved further west towards Vithalapur village, located at a distance of 20 kilometres from Siddipet.

The villagers noticed the pug marks in the agricultural fields at Anantharam Kunta and informed the local village head. On information, the forest department officials, along with the wildlife expert teams, reached the place, checked the pugmarks and confirmed the presence of the tiger in the area.

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The tiger on Saturday night travelled roughly 14 kilometres from the reserve forest of Chowdaram and reached Anatharam Kunta. It is believed to be wandering between the Macharam village and Vittalapur, both located in Chinnakodur mandal. Apparently, it is in search of the path it took through Jagityal, Siddipet, when it headed to Yadadri Bhuvanagiri nearly a month ago. It is believed to be heading back to its native place, Maharashtra.

“The pug marks were spotted in the morning. The local police and forest officials arrived and confirmed it. We believe the tiger is somewhere in the surroundings of the Anatharam Kunta. People have been alerted and we are coordinating with the officials,” said D N Yellaiah, local sarpanch.

The forest official, along with the veterinarians and Pune-based team, were planning to tranquilise the tiger in the forest between Gundaram and Chowdaram for the last two days. However, they could not succeed. They believe the tiger will return to the reserve forest and if it comes back, they are expected to give another try to tranquilise it. “The teams are on the job,” said an official of forest department.

Following the presence of the tiger in Vithalapur, the people in the surrounding villages were alerted by the local administration against moving around alone in the fields.

The power department, local police and the revenue officials were alerted and their coordination sought for the safety of the tiger and to prevent a human-animal conflict.