Forest officials are on their toes, literally, as fear grips people of the villages surrounding the jaggery town, Anakapalli, with the sighting of the elusive tiger.
The tiger had killed a calf at Vissannapeta village of Kasimkota mandal in Anakapalli district on Wednesday night.
The big cat had first been spotted in a remote village of Kakinada district two months ago. It has been roaming since then, giving the slip to the forest staff and moving from one place to another, giving sleepless nights to the people.
Later, the sub-adult tiger was spotted in the forest area at Narsipatnam in Anakapalli district about one week ago.
The killing of the calf has created a scare in the village. But, more than the tiger, the fake videos being circulated in the social media is causing panic in the region.
People living in Anakapalli, Narsipatnam, and in Visakhapatnam city and district are said to have received frantic calls from their relatives in Hyderabad and other places enquiring about their safety.
“We have set up 25 camera traps and are trying to monitor the movement of the animal. This is a dispersing sub-adult tiger, aged about five. It is trying to explore new areas and mark its territory. The habitat in the region is not suitable for it, and we expect it to retrace its path very soon,” Visakhapatnam District Forest Officer Ananth Sankar told The Hindu on Friday.
“The pug marks and the stride length of the tiger have matched with the one spotted near Kakinada. In all likelihood, it is the same tiger, which has strayed into our region through the Chintapalli forest. People living in the villages close to the forest areas should remain alert till the tiger retraces its path and goes back into the dense jungles,” Mr. Sankar said.
Difficult task
On the possibility of trapping the animal, Mr. Sankar said, “The big cat is moving for about 10 km a day, and the inclement weather is making the task of our men more difficult. The cage has to be carried by around 10 persons for up to 1 km from the nearest road point into the forest.”
