ADILABAD: Animal trackers have become indispensable for the officials in knowing the movement of the big cats in the jungles.More often than not, the information they provide helps not only save the lives of the people but also those of the tigers and leopards from poachers. Sometimes, it so happens that the villagers themselves provide information to the animal trackers.
The animal trackers then come to the place and look for pugmarks and decide in which way the tiger or leopard had passed. Their help came in handy when a man-eater created a scare in Adilabad recently. There are about 120 animal trackers who are working in Kumrambheem-Asifabad District. Of them 90 are working in the Kagaznagar forest division because the movement of tigers is noticed there more as it is an ideal habitat for them.
Thirty animal trackers work in the Asifabad division but the movement of tigers is not much as it is a hilly region. The animal trackers set up camera traps in the forest area.They check the traps every day in the morning and look for indications of the movements of the big cats. Speaking to TNIE district forest officer G Dinesh Kumar said the tiger that was found in this area went to Maharashtra by crossing the Pranahita river but the department was on the alert in case it comes back.