COIMBATORE: Wednesday was another day of disappointment for forest department officials as they were unable to spot the tiger identified as MDT-23. Officials cut down the number of personnel from around 80 involved in the operation hoping that reduced human movement would nudge the animal into emerging from the bushes, but the gamble did not pay off.
Chief Wildlife Warden Shekhar Kumar Neeraj said the team visited Ombetta hoping to capture the animal, but returned empty- handed. “We involved five veterinarians, along with a team from Kerala and Kumki elephants, sniffer dogs and drone cameras, to search the animal. We will continue the process on Thursday,” he added. Further, we have increased camera traps and have also been guarding the forest boundaries to prevent the animal from attacking villagers, Shekhar Kumar added.