KAKINADA: Fear gripped Kodavali and neighbouring villages in Gollaprolu mandal hereafter forest department officials confirmed the presence of a tiger in the human habitat. Officials have advised villagers against venturing into their agriculture fields till the strayed animal has been captured, or it returned to the wild on its own. Villagers had been complaining of an unidentified animal killing their livestock over the past few days.
At least six buffaloes were killed over the past eight days in Pothuluru, Ommangi, Dharmavaram villages in Prathipadu mandal and Kodavali, according to information reaching here. Forest officials have been trying to identify the “mysterious” creature for the past three days.On Thursday, the half-eaten carcass of a buffalo was found near Kodavali and Gollaprolu villages, close to the Pushkar lift irrigation pump house.
District forest officer IKV Raju, Wildlife DFO Selvam and others inspected pug marks and initially suspected it to be that of a leopard. Forest officials laid camera traps near the kill, anticipating the animal’s return to devour the leftover carcass. The tiger was captured by the cameras.
Forest officials said the villages of Yeleswaram, Sankavaram, Rowthulapudi, Annavaram, Kotananduru, Prathipadu, Tuni, Jaggampeta and Gokavaram in the foothills are connected with Addatheegala and other neighbouring forests.The tiger might have strayed into the village in search of prey and water, officials said.
“If it returns to its habitat, there would not be any problem. But if it continues to roam the human habitat, we will have to capture and relocate it into the wild,’’ DFO IKV Raju said, adding that the Wildlife Protection Team has been alerted of the tiger’s presence in human habitation. The team would arrive from Visakhapatnam, he said.Gollaprolu tehsildar V Ammaji said they were spreading the message about the movement of the big cat in Gollaprolu and other villages, asking people to be on alert. Police are also keeping a watch in the villages.