The man-eater of Dodabetta, which killed two women and a man over one week, continues to evade the large contingent of armed police and forest personnel deployed.
With even the use of firecrackers to flush it out not paying off, the personnel suspended tracking the tiger for most part of Monday at Kundahchappai and its surroundings. The animal is believed to be prowling in an area extending over five hectares facing Kundahchappai.
“The tiger seems to be changing its location frequently, but it will be captured,” Chief Wildlife Warden Lakshmi Narayan said. Forest department sources said the search team would move into the forests after sunset.
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Nilgiris Collector P. Sankar said the animal had not gone past any of the camera traps placed at different spots over the last couple of days. The number of camera traps had gone up from 18 to 28 and it would be increased further.
Meanwhile, fresh pug marks of a leopard were spotted in the area, and at two places camera traps captured images of a leopard.
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The movement of the people remains restricted in the Dodabetta area and villagers have begun to experience hardship. In the 24 affected villages that has a population of about 15,000, many are landless labourers. On account of the lurking danger, they have not been able to go to work for more than a week. A casual labourer, Sarasu (52) of Gandhinagar, lamented that her family’s plans for Pongal had been dashed.
Pointing out that there were villagers who owned small tea or vegetable gardens, she said they could not be maintained as the risk of attack from the carnivore persisted.
N. Mani, Joint Director of Horticulture, said work at the Doddabetta farm of the department had come to a standstill.