Hyderabad: Reserve officials attempt to create no disturbance zone

TAMSI (K ) (ADILABAD)/Hyderabad: The Kawal tiger reserve field director, C.P. Vinod Kumar, on Monday said that all possible measures have taken to ensure no one from Tamsi (K) village in Bheempur mandal comes into conflict with a tigress that moved into the area from Maharashtra’s Tippeshwar wildlife sanctuary.

The tigress, he told Deccan Chronicle, appeared to be trying to move past the village towards the Kawal reserve. “Our appeal to the people is not to disturb the tigress if she is seen. We are asking everyone in the village to give room to the tigress so that she can cross the village and move towards Kawal. The village falls in the tiger corridor area between Tippeshwar and Kawal and we are confident that if she is not disturbed or chased back, she will find her way past the village and move away from the area, within a couple of days,” Mr Kumar said. “We are getting two expert tiger trackers from Mancherial. Machans will be set up by Tuesday and a wild animal rescue van has been requisitioned for use if the need arises,” he said.

The Kawal reserve field director, accompanied by Adilabad DFO Prabhakar and other officials, visited the area along the Penganga river and inquired into the incidents of cattle kills and the movement of the tigress. The officials met with the villagers and assured them that they have intensified surveillance in the area and posted 32 personnel to monitor the movements of the tigress.

Tiger conservation experts and animal trackers in the Tamsi (K) have moved to the area and sentry with the forest staff have been set up for the safety of the villagers.   Mr Kumar said the tiger is a shy animal and will not cross the area to reach its destination or new habitat if it faces any disturbance along the way.

He also appealed to the people not to go into the open for relieving themselves and asked cotton farmers to hold back on harvesting the crop for a few days to give the tigress room and time to move away.

He said they are trying to create a “no-disturbance zone” for the tigress to reach its destination. “It is quite possibly the stress that it is facing from being chased away repeatedly that it attacked the cows. Normally, a tiger does not kill this frequently and once it has its fill, it will not attack any animal for at least four days,” he added. Mr Kumar also said that the tigress is also possibly being disturbed by the sand mining in Penganga and a large number of tractors moving in the area both during day and night. Bheempur FRO Appaiah and Deputy FRO Geeraiah and other staff were also present.