BENGALURU: The tigress, which was first seen with a snare entangled in its neck in Kerala, is now spotted in Gundre range in Bandipur Tiger Reserve. That is not all, it is suspected that the tigress has now found a mate, as the camera traps show two animals.
Soon after the Bandipur staffers sighted the tigress, veterinarians and darters were alerted. But by the time they reached the spot, it was after sunset and the tigress had moved inside again. While Kerala Chief Wildlife Warden has issued orders to capture the tigress, the staffers in Karnataka are divided.
Some opine that since the tigress has found a mate, it is a sign that the animal is healthy and is able to fend for itself. But others feel that it should be captured as per orders. BTR Director Natesh said that camera trap details of the tigress and that of the tiger are being analysed. The images are also being compared with those from Kerala, to confirm whether it is the same animal or not.
The BTR staffers had started combing operations a month and a half back and had installed more camera traps to capture the elusive wild cat. It was first caught on camera trap on February 25 and again on February 27. Vijay Kumar Gogi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, told TNSE that the first priority was to capture and treat the tigress and remove the snare. Orders in this regard have been issued, he said.
ELUSIVE TIGER
Nagarhole Tiger Reserve staffers are planning a search operation to find the tiger wandering around Kodagu which has killed many cattle. The pressure on the forest department has increased as the locals claim that the tiger captured earlier is the wrong one. PCCF Gogi said that samples of the deceased humans with that of the blood of the tiger have been sent for DNA analysis. This will confirm if it is the same tiger or not.