Tiger makes two cattle kills in four days in Jagtial

The tiger that has strayed into non-forest areas of Telangana State has been sighted in Jagtial district after wandering through the forest regions of Nizamabad district for quite some time.

The tiger has made two cattle kills over the past four days, continuing its pattern of several kills in a very short time which is unusual for a tiger. Forest officials informed that the male, said to have crossed over from Maharashtra into Jannaram forest division of Kawal Tiger Reserve in Telangana, made a cattle kill at Gangaram Tanda of Jagtial district on the night of March 14.

About a month ago, the tiger made a kill at a village in Kodimial mandal of the district, before moving to Nizamabad district via Mothukuraopet and Rudrangi villages. The animal spent a few days near Rallavagu stream close to Bheemgal town, and moved to Sirikonda forest range where a cattle kill was reported. After surviving on wild animals for a few more days, the tiger travelled the same track to return to Jagtial. After the kill on March 14, of which the tiger had partaken only a little, officials installed camera traps near the carcass, and waited for the feline to return.

However, the next day, on its way to the meal, the tiger killed another cow which was pregnant, and ate a little meat. The same night it returned to the second kill and had a hearty meal of eight to 10 kilograms of meat. The next day, it returned to the first kill and consumed the same amount of meat thereof, officials informed. Tigers in the wild usually consume 40-45 kilograms of meat at once when the kill is large animals, so that they can go several days without food.

Forest officials, based on the tiger’s behaviour, suspect that it was raised by its mother amid villages and agricultural fields, on the staple of cattle meat. They have observed that the animal is moving on the field boundaries rather than taking the cover in the agricultural fields.

DFO of Jagtial informed that precautionary measures have been taken, and villagers have been asked to confine their movements between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., and in emergency situations, move in groups rather than alone.

The power distribution authorities have been asked to switch off the three phase power during night, to disable agricultural pump sets, as they might harm the animal.