Panic prevails in Telangana’s Asifabad area due to frequent sighting of tiger

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, December 16

The sighting of a tiger in the Asifabad area of Telangana has sent panic waves among the residents, especially after the conflict between the big cat and humans came out in the open.

Two tribal people have been killed by the tiger in the recent past. Besides, a large number of cattle were also attacked by the tiger.

The Forest officials are using drones to track the movement of the animal and have advised people not to venture out alone, especially into the jungles.

The state officials have attributed the frequent sighting of the tiger in the forests of Kumram Bheem in Asifabad district to easy availability of prey and abundant water sources in the area.

The tigers in the area that are said to be moving around in the region include those from neighboring Maharastra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and reserves of Chhattisgarh.

It is estimated that there are about 10 tigers in the region, but only one appears to have turned a man eater.

On November 11, a young tribal Sidam Vignesh was killed by the tiger near a stream around Digida village in Dahegaon Mandal. Two men, however, managed to escape, leaving Sidam behind.

Again, on November 29, a tribal girl Pasula Nirmala (18) was mauled by the tiger in her fields in Kondapalli village in Penchikalpet Mandal.

The tiger has been spotted at least half a dozen times till December 10.

The last sighting was in Gunderpalli, Morligudu and Agargudu villages of Penchikalpet Mandal and near the water tank of Siddapur Village in Bejjur Mandal.