Movement of tigers continues to spark panic among villagers in Asifabad

Panic has spread across several villages in Kagaznagar forest division of Asifabad after tiger pug marks were spotted in cotton fields. Forest officials have advised caution, deployed trackers, and raised awareness programmes as farmers fear for their safety during harvesting

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Movement of a tiger continued to trigger panic among residents of several villages in the Kagaznagar forest division for the past few days.

Residents of Raspelli, Jambuga, Guvvalagudem, and surrounding villages in Kagaznagar mandal and Bibra in Dahegaon mandal claimed that they had spotted pug marks of a tiger in cotton fields. They regretted that they were living in fear following the movement of the tiger in agricultural fields. They said that the tiger movement was hampering cotton harvesting in this region. They requested the officials to take steps to prevent any human loss.

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Forest officials urged the public to be cautious of the tiger. They advised the cotton farmers to move in groups and make noise while moving in cotton fields. They stated that awareness programmes were being raised among the villagers over the movement of the tiger. They said that they were tracking the tiger by deploying animal trackers and base camp watchers in the area.

Incidentally, on November 29 in 2024, Morle Laxmi (21), of Gannaram village was mauled to death by a tiger, while she along with six other farm labourers was picking cotton balls in a farm near Easgaon. Pasula Nirmala (17) was killed by another tiger when she was harvesting cotton crop at Kondapalli in 2020.