The tigers that spread panic among villagers at Gajapuram in Durgi mandal of Palnadu district on April 24 were traced by the Forest Department on Monday (May 8). The three tigers—a female aged around six and two sub-adults aged around one-and-a-half—were caught on a camera trap installed by the Forest Department at Loyapally forest beat, District Forest Officer (DFO) N. Ramachandra Rao told The Hindu on Monday.
“After much effort, forest staff were able to find their location and record their movements. After analysing the camera trap footage, the department has come to the conclusion that these tigers moved from the interior parts of Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve Forest (NSTR).” They had earlier been caught in a camera trap at Akkapally area of NSTR, he added.
The DFO said that it would be premature to conclude whether the big cats were marking the area as their new territory; that would require continuous monitoring of their movement for at least 2-3 months. “We have to check whether they are marking their presence daily or on and off. Based on their daily markings, we will identify their new territory,” he said.
Mr. Ramachandra Rao said the Loyapalli area where the tigers were spotted is in the interior and natural forest. While searching for a new territory, tigers tend to move from one forest to another. In this case, however, the three tigers were spotted within NSTR itself, he said.
