Frontline personnel deployed to tranquillise tiger

Wildlife authorities zero-in on the exact location of the big cat

Wildlife authorities on Friday zeroed-in on the exact location where the adult Royal Bengal tiger has been staying near the cattle kill site, along the Polavaram project canal in Prathipadu mandal in Kakinada district. 

On the first day of the joint ‘rescue operation’ being carried out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Andhra Pradesh State Wildlife Wing, the dedicated team of experts and wildlife authorities deployed their frontline team and equipment at the strategic point to tranquillise the tiger at any possible moment.

“On Thursday night, the tiger came back to prey on the cattle that was killed by it at Uttrakanchi village. It is not making any move from that very location. Based on these inputs, we have moved our team and equipment to tranquillise it,” S. Saravanan, Chief Conservation of Forests (Wildlife-Rajamundry Circle), said 

“I am being accompanied by all the officials and experts on the mission on the field. We are preparing the ground to tranquillise the tiger. On the other hand, we have been sensitising the local people on the movements and presence of the tiger”, added Mr. Saravanan. 

Highly placed sources involved in the rescue operation said that the frontline personnel had managed to reach a very close point, from where the tiger’s movements, behaviour and preying activity was observed by them on the night of Thursday. The team was in the rescue vehicle then. 

The experts are in search of capturing every minute detail on the behaviour and physical appearance of the tiger as its behaviour could not be predicted given that it was stranded for over a week in a strange landscape. 

“The tiger is in its breeding age,” confirms a source associated with the rescue operation. Until now, the tiger had resorted to a few cattle kills.