Tiger in Mudigere, villagers panic

Chikkamagaluru: For the last couple of days, residents of Uduse village in Mudigere of Chikkamagaluru district have been spending sleepless nights  after a tiger strayed into their village. They now fear attacks by the predatory cat. 

To add to their worries, the big cat has killed three calves even as forest officials maintain a close watch on it keeping ready rapid response units which will be pressed into service as and when the situation demands. 

What has triggered panic among the villagers is that the big cat has made its presence felt for the first time in this part of Mudigere. However, residents had clues that a tiger was moving in and around the region for the past couple of months. 

There were reports of a tiger moving from Kadumane in Sakleshpur and Mudigere for the past couple of months and perhaps, the same tiger might have strayed into Uduse village, it is suspected. 

Forest officials as a precautionary measure have asked the residents of Uduse and surrounding parts not to venture out of their houses after dusk and also not move alone in the region for sometime till the fear of the tiger fades. 

Forest officials tracking the tiger's movement told Deccan Chronicle, "Our camera trapped the big cat in a coffee plantation but after the search operations were conducted, the big cat was not sighted on Monday evening. Probably, the tiger might have moved away from the place." 

Forest officials say the tiger could be from the same region and might have attacked and killed calves while it was crossing the place. However, they say, they are not taking chances and will maintain a vigil in and around Uduse for a week till the fear among residents vanishes.