Karnataka: Tigress, which killed an old lady and a boy within 12 hours, nabbed by forest officials

Madikeri: Forest Department personnel of Karnataka successfully tracked and tranquillised a tigress that had killed two persons within a span of 12 hours between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

The animal was tranquillised late on Sunday evening.

Forest officials said on Monday that while a 60-year-old woman, Chinni, was killed by the tigress in T Shettigeri village close to Srimangala on Sunday morning, a 14-year-old boy named Ayyappa, was killed by the animal on Saturday evening at Kumtur village in Ponnampet taluk.

Chennai’s killing took place within a distance of two to three km from Saturday’s attack and hence the authorities suspected that the same Tiger may have caused both the killings.

The woman was killed when she ventured out early in the morning from her home. Panic gripped the local community following her killing.

Chief Conservator of Forests T Hiralal said the focus was on capturing the striped cat alive as per the protocol and it was tracked by a battery of Forest Department personnel engaged in combing operation on Sunday evening.

The authorities constituted different groups and used four elephants during the combing operations. But one group identified pug marks and tracked them to the spot where it was finally located near Manchalli village and managed to dart the animal.

The animal had pre-existing wounds on its right legs and was unable to hunt. The Tigress is believed to be aged around nine years, she was caged and a decision was taken to shift it to a rescue centre for observation at Chamundi Animal Rehabilitation Centre in Mysuru.

It appeared emaciated and it is speculated that the injury could have been caused by a territorial fight with another dominant tiger.

Some locals said both the deaths could have been avoided had the Forest Department responded to reports of recent cattle kills from the area.

While earlier in the day villagers had demanded that the big cat be put down, forest officials managed to convince them and capture the animal. (UNI)