NILGIRIS: Upon information of suspected movement of the man-eater tiger from Lauriston in the O-Valley forest range into the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), a cage has been set up at Halala Estate, located along the MTR border.
The cage was set up by relocating one of the 13 that had been placed in the surroundings of O-Valley, where the big cat had killed two persons on August 9 and August 21.
The decision to shift one of the cages was taken following a recommendation by a committee comprising the DFO, veterinarians and a nominee of the chief wildlife warden. The committee was formed as per the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to capture the tiger.
The number of camera traps used to monitor the big cat has been increased to 244, including those installed in the neighbouring Kargudi and Singara forest ranges. Moreover, veterinarians and field-level tiger-tracking teams continue to search for the animal inside the forest. However, they did not record any direct sightings on Sunday.
Sources said that despite efforts, the animal continued to remain elusive, and the operation to capture it entered its 25th day on Sunday.
According to Gudalur Forest Division DFO P Devaraj, "We have also intensified our search at Alloor Vayal, Silver Cloud, riverside areas and Good Shepherd Farm."
According to him, "The aerial distance to Mudumalai is just 4km from Lauriston, and the big cat may return to Lauriston at any time. We noticed the man-eater only through a camera trap on August 23."
The official said that they had no other option but to continue and intensify the search for the animal and shift the cages to increase the chances of trapping it.
The official said that they continued to pick up and drop off schoolchildren at their homes. They had also provided grocery worth Rs 1,000 to 150 families whose livelihoods were affected by the capture operation.