Migrant tigress enters dangerous landscape in Mancherial; faces threat from poachers

Sources said that the tigress, named B1, entered the forests of Chittapur and Potyala villages, which witness hunting of wild animals at regular intervals

Mancherial: A migrant tigress that was spotted in forests of Bellampalli, Kasipet and Thandur mandals for the last few days, has reportedly entered a dangerous landscape known to have several wildlife poachers in Nennal mandal on Tuesday.

Sources said that the tigress, named B1, entered the forests of Chittapur and Potyala villages, which witness hunting of wild animals at regular intervals. The tiger is likely to face a threat from the hunters, if preventive measures were not taken. The hunters are known to set up electrified snares to kill deer and boars. The snares might prove fatal for the tigress, a source stated.

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Forest officials said the tigress was showing aberrant behaviour for reasons unknown. It was wandering in the plains rather than forests supposedly in search of a conducive habitat. They stated that they were closely watching the movement of the tigress. They predicted that it would stray into neighbouring ranges soon, considering its abnormal behaviour. They disclosed that pugmarks of the tigress were recorded at a spot near Potyal village.

The officials further said that awareness was being raised among the villagers over the presence of the tiger. They requested the villagers not to harm the animal by setting electrified fences meant for preventing crop damage by wild animals. They wanted the rural folks to alert them if they spotted her pugmarks. CCTV cameras were also installed to track the movement of the tigress, they said.

The tigress was spotted in the forests and agriculture fields of Kannala, Dubbagudem, Ameenguda and other parts of Bellampalli, Kasipet and Thandur mandals before straying into the forests of Bopparam and many other villages in Nennal mandal on Monday. The tigress from Kumram Bheem Asifabad district had migrated to Mancherial in search of territory in December.

However, locals expressed concern over their safety following movement of the tigress. They urged the forest officials to take appropriate steps to prevent human loss. They said that they were hesitating to enter agriculture fields to harvest the cotton and to take up agriculture activities.