Three Tigers That Strayed Return Safely to NSTR

VIJAYAWADA: Three tigers comprising a female adult and two sub-adults, sighted in fringe villages of Palnadu district, have safely returned to Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR).

The tigers that strayed had first been spotted in Macherla forest range limits in the last week of April. They killed a cow in Gajapuram of Durgi mandal in May, causing panic among local residents.

Forest officials plunged into action and set up camera traps at strategic places. They advised local residents not to move out of their homes late in the night. They also asked villagers to keep lights in their front and backyards on for some time to discourage the carnivores from attacking animals or villagers.

Authorities got some pug marks and images of their movement in camera traps. After a while, the movement of these tigers in the area stopped.

Palnadu district forest officer N. Ramachandra Rao said, “We have found matching images of tigers which strayed into Palnadu district in NSTR camera traps recently. This confirms the strayed tigers have returned to NSTR safely. However, we advise local villagers to remain cautious as a precautionary measure and alert us immediately in case they see any carnivore.”