A tiger that was sighted in the vicinity of Chikkanahalli reserve forest and also in villages nearby, triggering anxiety among residents, has been finally captured.
The Forest Department had begun the operation to trap it about three months ago. The animal used to be found on camera traps at night but not physically sighted by day. Nevertheless, the department continued the operation.
The department got a clue about the tiger’s movement around Chikkanahalli and laid a trap. They had taken precautionary measures in nearby villages and also distributed pamphlets alerting residents.
The department fixed a newly designed walk-through cage to trap the big cat and it proved successful, with the five-year-old animal getting trapped in the early hours of Thursday.
The forest vet team tranquilised the tiger and found that it was in good health, with no injuries.
Deputy Conservator of Forest Basavaraj K.N. said the tiger would be released into a tiger reserve as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines.
He said residents of the villages were told about the Wildlife Advance Alert System where they would receive alerts about wildlife movement in their areas and this helped the department to be in touch with the locals.
The tiger was earlier sighted near Doddakanya and other villages in Nanjangud and close to Kadakola Industrial Area.
Villagers of Chikkakanya, Doddakanya, Byathahalli, and Sindhuvalli were made aware of the dos and don’ts in view of the tiger movement in the vicinity and messages relayed through WhatsApp on the precautionary steps to be taken.
