Operation intensified; villagers say staff lack seriousness, seek experienced capturers

Mysore/Mysuru: For over a month, a tiger has been causing panic in Doddakanya, Chikkakanya, Bythahalli, Sindivalli and neighbouring villages, playing a hide-and-seek game with the Forest Department. The Department, joined by the Saragur Track Team and Fire and Emergency Services personnel, has intensified its operation to capture the one-and-a-half-year-old tiger.

After the tiger was captured in camera traps on Dec. 1, it vanished for two days. Later, camera traps in sugarcane fields at Doddakanya and Chikkakanya captured its images, prompting the Forest Department to heighten its operation.

On Dec. 8, the tiger’s movement was captured, and efforts to capture it continued through Saturday night. Despite these efforts, the tiger eluded capture, prompting the use of a hydraulic equipment, normally used for mounting the wooden howdah during Dasara, to tranquilise and capture the tiger safely.

The Forest staff, experts in tiger capture, and tranquiliser dart specialists have been conducting night-long operations to capture the elusive tiger.

Conservator of Forests (Mysuru Circle) Dr. Malathi Priya, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Dr. K.N. Basavaraj, and Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Lakshmikanth, along with over 100 Forest staff, are leading the operation.

However, villagers allege that the Forest staff lack experience, leading to operational failures. They claim that the Forest staff initially dismissed reports of the tiger’s presence, identifying it as a leopard. Only after the Forest staff spotted the tiger themselves did they take it seriously.

The villagers are demanding the involvement of tiger-capturing experts from Bandipur or Nagarahole to handle the situation effectively. The tiger is reportedly separated from its mother and is establishing its territory in an abandoned land, primarily hunting small animals.

Capturing the tiger poses a challenge for the Forest Department, raising questions about its release. The young tiger, having not learned to hunt larger animals, may face difficulties if released into the forest. Additionally, releasing it may draw criticism from wildlife activists, complicating the management of the captured tiger.