The Forest Department, on Monday, caught a male tiger which officials believe killed a woman in Pandaravalli village near Mullayanagiri Hills near here two days ago.
Officials of the department captured the animal after tranquilising it with a dart. M.S. Manik, Deputy Conservator of Forests of Chikkamagaluru division, told The Hindu a veterinarian from Bannerghatta National Park shot the dart successfully and the animal was later shifted into a cage. The tiger is around seven years old and appears healthy, said PCCF (Wildlife) Vinay Luthra.
He added that the animal will first be examined, and if found fit, will be released into the wild. “The tiger has been in the forest fringes, possibly driven out of its territory by another tiger,” he said. “A high-level committee of the department would decide on the venue where the captured tiger is to be released,” Venkateshan, Director of Bhadra Tiger Reserve, said.
Tiger sightings have been common in around Pandaravalli — including in coffee plantations — since September. On Saturday Sumithra, a worker in a coffee estate, died after a tiger attack while she was on her way to work.
Meanwhile, another tiger has been found moving around Krishnagiri estate near Bababudangiri Hills. Asked whether that would also be caught, the official said the department had not felt the need of an operation to capture it.
