Tigress trapped, captured in Bandipur buffer zone

The continuing vigilance and combing around buffer zone of Bandipur has led to capture of a tigress on Thursday.

The Forest Department had placed a large cage (Tumakuru model cage) on Survey number 117 of Depapura village on December 14, following complaints by the local community of a frequent cattle kill by a carnivore.

After dogged pursuit and monitoring and placement of the large cage, the animal was trapped on Thursday and it turned out to be a female tiger, aged around 5 years, according to the authorities.

There were a slew of cattle kills reported from the villages of Huttur, Somanapura, Depapura, etc., which are in the buffer zone of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, coming under the Gundlupet sub division, in the last few weeks. The authorities aver that it was the same tigress responsible for it.

After its capture, the tigress was monitored and examined for its health and was said to be healthy. It was shifted from the site of capture to Bandipur, where it will be further monitored by the wildlife veterinarians.

A decision on whether to shift it to a rescue centre, or relocate it in the jungles, will be taken by the senior officials of the forest department. S. Prabhakaran, Director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, officials of the Special Tiger Task Force, veterinary officers Wasim Mirza, Adarsh and others were present.

Meanwhile, multiple teams continue to comb in and around the buffer zone of Bandipur following an escalation of human-tiger conflict in the region which resulted in the death of three farmers in November this year. The increase in conflict was attributed to anthropogenic pressure and habitat disturbance, following which the authorities have suspended safari in all wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves in the State.