Jeypore: Panic gripped residents of Jhinkirikarili village under Badhugaon in Odisha’s Koraput district following reports of a cattle carcass and presumably pugmarks of a tiger in the area.
According to sources, a royal Bengal tiger was spotted in the areas around Pottangi and Bandhugaon block along Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border a few weeks ago. It has now moved to Ananthagiri hills in Araku region.
“The tiger has been roaming in the jungles bordering Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. It was earlier seen in areas bordering Kotia and its presence has been reported in the vicinity of Bandhugaon. The department is alert and locals have been asked to remain vigilant,” TNIE quoted Koraput divisional forest officer (DFO) Amita Rani Ray as saying.
The tiger has been lurking in the area since September 23. “It has left the bordering area of Kotia and was spotted near Ananthagiri hills, bordering Nandapur block of Koraput district, on November 23. The tiger is on its return journey and hopefully will leave the area in the next few days,” assistant conservator of forests, Koraput forest division Uma Mahesh was quoted as saying by TOI.
Meanwhile, CCTV cameras were installed to track the tiger’s movements while 30 forest staff and a special tiger tracking squad have been pressed into service to caution people of its presence. “We are in constant touch with our counterparts in the neighbouring state and the latest position of the tiger is being recorded,” he added.
Last month, the district administration cautioned the villagers of Tadivalsa of the tiger’s presence after it was sighted in the area. “Village-level meetings were conducted by the forest department to make people aware of the tiger. They were cautioned against venturing deep inside or taking their cattle into the forest,” said Koraput collector Abdaal M Akhtar.
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