Forest officials track tiger in Koheda, no new attacks reported

Villagers in Siddipet’s Bejjanki and Koheda mandals were alarmed by tiger rumours. Forest officials confirmed the tiger was in Arepally hills, feeding on earlier kills. Teams monitored its movement, suspecting it may return to Maharashtra after a month in Telangana.

Hyderabad: Panic prevailed in several villages in Beijjanki mandal of Siddipet district on Wednesday after rumours of tiger movement in the hills around the Gundaram village in the mandal.

Forest officials later denied the reports and said that there was no movement of a tiger in the region and the tiger was still relaxing in the surrounding hillocks of Arepally village, Koheda mandal, in Siddipet. The forest teams continued to track the tiger using thermal drones and camera tracks.

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“No fresh kill was reported on Wednesday. The tiger had plenty of kills and was feeding upon them,” said Forest Range Officer Siddharth Reddy.

The Pune-based Res-Q teams, along with the local forest officials, camped throughout the day in the area to monitor the movement of the tiger.

A tense atmosphere continued in the villages in the Koheda mandal for the fourth straight day following the presence of the tiger in the mandal. The villagers, on advice of the forest officials, were returning to the village before dusk. The cattle were moved from the sheds on village outskirts to safer places in the village.

On Sunday, the tiger killed seven cattle at Arepally and Ghanapur villages in the Koheda mandal of Siddipet district. Since then, the tiger, owing to a safe prey base, hilly terrain and plenty of water, has stayed in the forest.

The forest officials believe the tiger is returning to Maharashtra after moving around for a month in search of a mate or to establish its territory. The tiger is suspected to have entered Telangana from Maharashtra.