BENGALURU: To track and catch the elusive wild male tiger in Kodagu, which is said to have killed three people, Soliga tribals from BRT Tiger Reserve who are expert trackers have now been pressed into service.As soon as the five-member tribal team reached the operation site in Kodagu, they got to work on Monday. They divided themselves and joined the forest department’s foot patrolling teams. Though it is the fist time that Soliga trackers are being used in Kodagu, the Forest Department has taken their help earlier.
Conservationists said that Soligas have not been used in the recent past. “At Nagarhole, Jenu Kurubas are better at tracking tigers. Bringing Soligas here is of no use. Soligas were last used at the Bheemgad Wildlife Sanctuary in 2012 in Belagavi when a radio-collared tiger that was caught at the Bhadra Reserve was released,” an activist pointed out.
Forest officials said that 103 people have been deployed to capture the tiger. This is apart from three veterinarians, five tranquillising experts and five darters. Since the operation started 15-20 days ago, the department has spent around Rs 5-6 lakh on food and accommodation of staffers alone. T Heeralal, who was holding the additional charge of the operation, has been sent back to Mysuru to handle his post as Chief Conservator of Forests, while Takhat Singh Ranawat has been posted as Chief Conservator of Forests, Kodagu.
“The Soliga tribals have joined the search. There is a lot of pressure from people and they are crowding on the ground, making the operation difficult. Though we have a large number of staffers, we will get more if needed. Soligas have been called in as they use their native knowledge to track tigers,” Ranawat said. Officials ruled out the rumour that the tiger had moved into Wayanad side of the forest as they have received no information from their counterparts in Kerala. They said pug marks were not sighted on Sunday night or Monday.