MULUGU : Villagers spotted pugmarks of a tiger near an agricultural field in Vanaguttalu on the outskirts of Palampet in Venkatpur mandal of Mulugu district on Monday. Shepherds also complained of hearing tiger roars in the locality.
Gripped by fear, villagersremained indoors. Forest officials have sounded a high alert in the mandal Six camera traps have been installed to track the tiger’s movement, and patrolling has been stepped up in the forest area.
Gram panchayat officials have also been directed to prevent locals from venturing alone into the forest. Forest Range Officer (FRO) D Shankar said a 20-member team has been deployed to monitor the tiger’s movement.
He added that after the pugmarks were found, a male tiger was spotted moving towards the Narsapur and Chelpur forest areas in Bhupalpally district. The department has taken steps to protect the animal from poachers, alerting staff to remove electric fencing or trenches near water bodies to ensure the tiger’s safety, Shankar said.