Big cat was trapped in the combing operation assisted by trained elephants

Gundlupet: A tiger, that had created a havoc among the villagers at Bommalapura and surroundings in Gundlupet taluk for the past one year, was finally captured by the Forest Department recently.

A team of Forest personnel consisting veterinarians and sharp shooters, assisted by domesticated elephants Masti, Kanjan and Prashanth, who have expertise in combing operations, tranquillised the tiger near Samadhi Mala (Graveyard) in Bommalapura village, during the late-night hours of Wednesday. The big cat was later shifted to the cage.

The four-year old male tiger, had been targeting livestock while grazing at Bommalapura and surrounding villages. Following complaints, the Forest Department had kept the cage to trap the tiger. But, the tiger had turned elusive, hoodwinking Forest personnel on guard. The enraged villagers, had allegedly trapped the Forest Department personnel in the cage, as a mark of protest, that had hit the headlines.

Strangely, the movement of tiger was not caught on any camera traps. However recently, the tiger was caught on camera, when it was taking away the carcass of a livestock it had killed. Following which, drone camera was deployed, only to spot the tiger hiding behind the bushes at the graveyard on Wednesday evening.

The elephants were summoned and subsequently the combing operation was launched at about 11 pm. Fire crackers were burst, to restrain the movement of the tiger and was covered by trained elephants from three sides, before the big cat was trapped.

To enable smooth operation, the District Administration had clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144. Gundlupet Town Circle Inspector N. Jayakumar, supervised the bandobast.

Over 100 Forest personnel from Hediyala and Bandipur Sub-Divisions led by Tahsildar M.S. Thanmay, Project Tiger Director S. Prabhakaran and staff, including Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) personnel, took part in the operation.

‘After 2017 forest fire, tiger had shifted to buffer zone’

S. Prabhakaran, Director of Project Tiger, Bandipur said, the tiger, which had strayed out of Bandipur Forest, following forest fire at Kundakere Range in the year 2017, had found its new habitat in the buffer zone.

The tiger had increased its population to five, which had sparked fears at the villages namely Hundipura, Bommalapura, Somanapura, Triyambakapura, Mallammanahundi, Kelsur, Padagur, Kallalli and surroundings, by claiming the lives of hundreds of livestock.

On Nov. 10, a tigress was rescued along with three of its cubs near Padagur.

Now, another tiger has been captured. The health condition of tiger, is being monitored and it shall be released into the wild after taking into consideration the opinions of Veterinarians and Forest Officers, he added.