CHENNAI: With the 'T23' tiger killing another person at Singara in Gudalur, Tamil Nadu Chief Wildlife Warden Shekar Kumar Niraj has decided to issue orders to ground teams to hunt the big cat.
Locals claim it was the fourth human kill by the same tiger in Singara and the adjacent region of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
Officials told The New Indian Express that the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has been briefed about the situation on the ground and how the tiger has become a threat to human safety. Accordingly, a decision has been taken to eliminate the tiger, if required.
Under Section 11 (1) (a) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the state's Chief Wildlife Warden has powers to issue orders for hunting of wild animals, if he is satisfied that any wild animal specified in Schedule I has become dangerous to human life or is so disabled or deceased as to be beyond recovery, provided that no wild animal shall be ordered to be killed unless the Chief Wild Life Warden is satisfied that such animal cannot be captured, tranquilised or translocated.
It's been a week since the capture and rescue operation was launched, but due to multiple factors like unfavourable terrain and climatic conditions, the teams were unable to tranquilise the animal despite spotting it on multiple occasions. "We took a shot at it once, but the tiger managed to escape. The behaviour of the tiger has changed and it has become very aggressive due to the ongoing operation and human presence. It's very difficult to carry out the operation when there is an uncontrollable mob surrounding the place."