A nine-year-old tiger that had killed six persons in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra in the last two months has been caged, marking the successful culmination of a two-month-long operation to capture the elusive big cat on the prowl which had struck terror in villages.
The tiger which managed to throw foresters off his trail with his sharp animal instincts finally took the bait placed inside a cage on April 29 night in the Karva-Ballarpur forest area, a senior official said on April 30.
The tiger had killed four persons in the Central Chanda division and two others in the Chandrapur division in the last two months, the official added.
"In view of the human-tiger conflict, villagers in the forest area were living in the atmosphere of terror, prompting the Forest Department to set up a team to capture the big cat," said Swetha Boddu, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Central Chanda division.
She said the operation to capture the tiger was going on continuously for the last two months.
"As the tiger was more cautious, it became difficult to capture him. The team initially faced a tough time, but with persistence and patience, the forest department succeeded in the operation by caging the tiger on Monday night in the Karva-Ballarpur forest area," said Ms. Boddu.
The caging of the troublesome tiger before the start of the Tendu leaf collection season came as a huge relief for forest department personnel and villagers in the Central Chanda division. "Further action about the tiger will be taken on directions from senior officials," the DCF said.
Another official said troublesome tigers are generally shifted to a zoo in Nagpur and not released in the wild again.
