Mancherial: Tiger movement cheers Forest officials, panics villagers

Officials reported that an adult tigress from the Kerameri mandal in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district recently ventured into the Luxettipet range in search of new territory. The tigress's movement was captured by a CCTV camera trap set up by the department in the range's forests, according to a forest official.

Mancherial: A tiger is moving in the forests of Luxettipet range cheering Forest officials, while triggering panic among villagers.

The officials said that an adult tigress residing in the forests of Kerameri mandal in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district drifted towards the forests of Luxettipet range in search of territory recently. “Movement of the tigress was recorded on a CCTV camera trap installed by the department in the forests of the range,” a forest official said.

---

The officials further said the movement of the tiger was being tracked and steps were being taken to ensure smooth passage for the tiger. They stated that awareness was created among the villagers over the presence of the tiger. They urged the farmers not to set electrified fences to protect crops being damaged by wild animals.

According to the officials, it was the second tiger to enter the forests of Luxettipet range in recent times. They opined that the female tiger might attract a male tiger and nurture a family in this landscape in a gap of 45 days. A male tiger named S 12 roamed in the forests of this range before straying into the forests of Kerameri in the second week of November.

The movement of the tigers, however, is creating panic among locals of several villages, in particular farmers. The villagers requested the officials to take steps to prevent human loss. Stating that they were hesitating to enter farms considering the movement of the tiger, they said they were postponing harvesting of the cotton crop.

On November 29, Morle Lakshmi (21) was mauled by a migrant tiger from Maharashtra to death while she was engaged in harvesting the cotton crop at Easgaon village in Kagaznagar mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district. The same tiger was suspected to have attacked Rauthu Suresh at Dubbagudem village in Sirpur (T) mandal on November 30.