Siddipet: Panic in Koheda mandal as tiger stays put near villages

Panic has gripped villages in Koheda mandal of Siddipet district after a wandering tiger killed seven cattle and stayed in the area for two days. Forest officials said the tiger may move towards Maharashtra after a brief halt near Shanigram reservoir

Hyderabad: Panic persists in villages of Koheda mandal of Siddipet district as a wandering tiger has preferred to stay put in the mandal since Sunday morning.

The tiger killed seven cattle in Ghanpur and Arepally villages in the mandal on Saturday night and its pugmarks were found in the villages of Ghanpur, Arepally and Kurella by forest officials.

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The tiger returned to the kill spot at Arepally on Sunday night again and fed on the carcass of the cattle it had killed earlier. The visit of the tiger was captured on camera traps installed at several places.

Forest officials believe the tiger is heading back to Maharashtra from where it had come and that, on the way, after finding good prey and a small patch of forest at Shanigram reservoir, it took a break. The forest patch is home to sloth bears, spotted deer, monkeys, wild boars and other animals. There are also villages close to the forest area. Considering the prey base in the forest, the tiger might stay there for a day or two before heading towards Maharashtra.

“In case of a human-animal conflict, our teams equipped with tranquilisers are ready. So far, the need for such action did not arise as the tiger itself is avoiding any confrontation with humans,” said Forest Range Officer (Husanabad) Siddharth Reddy.

Villagers, however, are panicked following the prolonged stay of the tiger in Koheda mandal. “The tiger, we learnt, was travelling 15 to 20 kilometres a day in the last one week. It is now staying here and people are afraid to venture out fearing an attack by the tiger. The cattle cannot be shifted and accommodated in villages for long due to lack of sheds or other facilities,” complained a villager from Kurella village.

The gram panchayat villages of Vinjayapally, Tigalakuntapally, Shanigaram and Sikandlapur, located near the reservoir, have put people on alert.