Deliverance from pain for Chennur tigress K4 caused by a wire snare cutting into its abdomen could well be near, with the Forest Department coming out with a new strategy to ‘capture’ it. The plan is to contain the injured feline’s movement to a small area of about 14 sq km in Chennur forest in Mancherial district for some time. Then, facilitating its tranquillisation needed for removing the snare assumed to be embedded in its abdomen.
The nearly three-year-old tigress, one of the four cubs of the legendary Sirpur tigress Phalguna from its first litter, was ensnared about 16 months ago when it was sauntering into Chennur from Sirpur forest. K4, as the tigress subsequently came to be known, has been carrying the piece of metal wire ever since and the noose is getting tighter as it is growing bigger. The Forest Department had formed a team to tranquillise it in May. However, monsoon hampered its efforts to a great extent as the forest floor became slushy and movement of tiger trackers and others became difficult.
“K4 is currently moving in the proposed restricted area which will strategically be kept free of cattle movement while offering it live bait and chopped meat. We are assuming that in the absence of cattle to kill, the tigress will opt for the bait, get habituated and eventually provide a chance for us to tranquillise it,” said Field Director Project Tiger (FDPT), Kawal Tiger Reserve, C. Saravanan who heads the committee that is making efforts to rescue the animal. “It’s a welcome move,” observed Hyderabad-based Sanjeev Siva of the public group of tiger conservation enthusiasts, Conservation Lenses and Wildlife (CLAW). “Hunger can drive K4 towards the live bait and as tigers are known to scavenge, even towards chopped meat also,” he said of the logic in the Forest Department’s plan. “The restricted area needs to be really secured as the big cat can simply wander out of it and the chopped meat can be eaten away by other wild animals,” he cautioned. And, a lot of man power and monitoring is required, he added.
“Monitoring has been increased by setting up more number of camera traps and putting some of those in video mode,” Mr. Saravanan disclosed. As the rains have ceased, our trackers and others are also on the job now,” he added of the intensified efforts to relieve the animal of its pain.
The recent pictures of K4 on camera trap also show it to be in good health, the ugly scar on its abdomen notwithstanding. “It is healthy and growing big too,” Mr. Saravanan pointed out.
