Forest staff on the edge as tiger cubs move freely, eluding capture operation

By M.T.  Yogesh Kumar

Mysore/Mysuru: In an unexpected turn of events, three one-and-a-half-year-old female tiger cubs have made appearances in three distinct locations near the cultural city of Mysuru, leaving Forest Department personnel puzzled and on high alert.

Dubbed the ‘triple urban tigresses,’ the cubs are causing mounting pressure on authorities to capture and relocate them due to concerns about potential threats to human habitation as they mature. One of the three cubs, identified as T-7, has taken shelter in a sugarcane field near Doddakanya, while the other two continue to roam in surrounding villages.

Department officers said that the mother tiger, originally from either Bandipur or Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, had been residing safely with her four cubs along the forest fringes. However, recent developments have seen her pushing the cubs out of their den, encouraging them to live freely in the wild.

The cubs, nurtured under their mother’s care, diverged in separate directions a month ago, unwittingly entering villages near Mysuru. Earlier sightings by cowherds and Forest Guards in the Chikkanahalli Reserve Forest area had noted the presence of a mother tiger with four cubs, capturing the attention of villagers and necessitating camera traps.

Also, the mother tiger with four cubs was captured in the camera trap installed by the Forest Department as there were frequent complaints from the villagers about the tiger sightings.

Mother comes to safe fringes

It is suspected that the tigress, originally residing in Bandipur or Nagarhole sanctuaries, migrated to Chikkanahalli Reserve Forest while pregnant, seeking a safe haven for her cubs from other tigers. There, she gave birth to four cubs and provided for them by hunting wild animals, including rabbits, wild boars and grazing cattle.

After one and a half years of care, the mother tiger separated one cub and guided the remaining three female cubs toward an independent life. Currently, one cub roams near Doddakanya and Chikkakanya, another in various village parts, and a third has found refuge in a sugarcane field near Byathahalli on the Mysuru-Nanjangud border.

To locate the tiger at Byathahalli, a team of Forest Guards of Nanjangud Range is observing the movements through various methods including camera traps.

According to Forest Officers, the female tiger cub roaming around Doddakanya, Chikkakanya and TVS Factory for the last month is a sensitive and alert big cat. Codeworded as T-7, this tiger has encountered people five or six times but has not attempted to attack them. Seeing people, this tiger cub was running away from the place.

The Forest Department’s operation to capture T-7 began on Nov. 25, with the tiger making sporadic appearances in Doddakanya, Chikkakanya and surrounding villages. While two cubs likely returned to Chikkanahalli Reserve Forest as their visuals have not been captured in the camera traps for days, T-7’s elusive behaviour poses a significant challenge to capture efforts.

Staff desperate to capture

In this background, the Forest Guards are operating throughout the night to capture the elusive T-7 female tiger. However, the tiger cub makes a flash appearance once in two to three days and disappears at lightning speed. This has made the Forest staff impatient and desperate.

For the capture of T-7, Forest Department staff have discussed with experts who have opined that it is best to capture the tiger by setting up a cage or firing a tranquilliser dart when its visibility is clear. Accordingly, cages have been placed in a couple of areas.

However, it is rare for a tiger to fall into the cage trap. Another method is to give a tranquilliser shot. However, this operation has to be done patiently, waiting for the hiding tiger to emerge in the open.

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.