Telangana: Fear grips villagers as fresh tiger pugmarks spotted in Venkatapuram

Big cat may have gone to Chunchupalli forest region of Mangapet mandal, say officials

Mulugu: The discovery of the pug marks on the outskirts of Alubaka village of Venkatapuram mandal of the district on Tuesday sparked fear among locals, who were hesitant to step out of their homes.

Locals in the forest area of Mulugu district found fresh pug marks of a tiger, which is thought to be prowling in the surrounding villages of the forest area.

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After receiving information about tiger movement in the area, District Forest Officer (DFO) Rahul Kishan Jadhav, along with forest officials and animal tracker teams, visited Alubaka village and spotted the pug marks.

According to forest officials, the tiger might have gone to the Chunchupalli forest region of Mangapet mandal. The officials have cautioned the villagers not to venture near forest regions to graze sheep and cattle.

Meanwhile, teams have been deployed to identify the movement of the big cat in the forest areas. The forest officials are monitoring CCTV footage, using drone cameras to capture their movement and increase patrolling in forest areas.

Recently, a tiger killed a woman, Morle Lakshmi, at Easgaon village in Kagazangar mandal and attacked a farmer, Rauthu Suresh, at Dubbagudem village in Sirpur (T) mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.