KAKINADA: In the second sighting of a male tiger in a month, passengers of a bus spotted the big cat at Kummarilova village in Tuni mandal, East Godavari district, late on Monday.
Forest officials have been trying to capture the wild cat that has been on the prowl in Kakinada and East Godavari districts for almost a month.
The passengers, all workers at a shrimp hatchery, were heading to their village on the bus when the big cat appeared in front of their bus. The driver immediately stopped the bus. The bus proceeded only after the tiger disappeared into the forest.
“The door of the bus was open. As soon as we saw the tiger, we ran to the rear end of the bus, fearing it would come inside. The tiger strolled in front of the bus for a few minutes and disappeared into the forest,” a passenger recalled. Another passenger said they wished to take a photo of the tiger on their phones, but did not since they felt that it might provoke the big cat.
Villagers in Latchireddypalem, Kummarilova and Kolimeru villages in East Godavari district have been advised not to venture out of their homes after sunset. Meanwhile, forest department officials inspected the pug marks at Kolimeru and Kummarilova villages and found that the tiger was headed towards Maruvada village.
Suspecting that the tiger might have come from Narsipatnam forest area, DFO IKV Raju said it could be going back to the region through Tuni, the same route, it had used to reach Kakinada district. “It may swim across the River Tandava to reach Narsipatnam reserve forest area via Payakaraopeta mandal in Visakhapatnam,” he explained.The big cat was first spotted on May 27. Two people, including an auto driver, had sighted the big cat on June 11.