Wandering tiger heads towards Kawal Tiger Reserve in Telangana

A tiger that entered Telangana from Maharashtra two months ago has now been spotted in Jagtial district and is believed to be heading towards Kawal Tiger Reserve. Forest officials have alerted nearby villages and advised residents to take precautions.

HYDERABAD: The wandering tiger, which has been moving from one place to another in Telangana for the last two months, is showing signs of moving towards the Kawal Tiger Reserve.

The tiger movement was noticed at the Kodimial mandal in Jagtial district of Telangana and forest officials put the villages in the mandal on alert.

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The tiger’s presence in the forest area came to light after farmers of Dhammayapeta village noticed pugmarks of the tiger in the fields on the village outskirts and alerted the forest officials.

The forest officials, along with the local police, reached the spot and, after checking the area, confirmed the presence of the tiger. The villages of Sandralapally, Thirumalapur, Chintallapalle, Potharam and their surroundings were put on alert.

The villagers were asked to move in groups when they head to the farms and not to go early to the fields and return early in the evening to their homes. The villages are located in the forest area and movement of wild animals such as leopards and sloth bear are regular. However, sightings of tigers are rare in the village.

The tiger had crossed over into Telangana from Maharashtra two months ago and reached Yadadri Bhuvanagiri mandal in mid-January.

After failing to get a suitable area to establish its territory or get a mate, it is believed to be heading back to Maharashtra. The tiger had stayed for a few weeks at Kawal Reserve Forest after entering Telangana. The officials believe it is now heading back to Kawal reserve forest, barely 70 kilometres from Kodimial mandal.

The tiger had moved around Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Siddipet, Jangaon, Sircilla, before moving to Jagtial in the last one month.