VISAKHAPATNAM: Officials of the forest department in Visakhapatnam are consulting experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Dudhva Tiger Reserve to trap the four-year-old male tiger that is on the prowl around Aarli village under K. Kotapadu mandal of Anakapalle district, about 45 km from Vizag.
The tiger has killed several cattle during the last week, the latest being a calf on Saturday night.
District forest officer (DFO) Anant Shankar observed that tigers usually return to their kill for eating the remaining parts of the carcass. But it has not yet happened with regard to its latest killing.
“We are planning to trap the tiger tomorrow when it returns to the calf it killed last night. We are in constant touch with Professor Parag Nigam of Wildlife Institute of India and experts from Dudhva Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh,” the DFO told Deccan Chronicle on Sunday.
Experts from Dudhva, who have trapped two tigers in UP, have a special cage to trap this tiger. They are using drone cameras as well as infrared and night vision cameras to track the movement of the beast.
“Our teams are on the job to protect people as well as the tiger that is on the prowl,” said Visakhapatnam chief conservator of forest P. Rammohan Rao.
Officials say the tiger had moved to East Godavari from Vizianagaram district through Narsipatnam forests. It is now returning via the same route to either Odisha or Chhattisgarh.
