A day after the Karnataka Government issued a shoot-at-sight order to kill the prowling man-eating tiger, the forest department succeeded in catching the big cat on the outskirts of Bandipur National Park in HD Kote Taluk in Mysore district on Thursday.
A concerted effort by forest department and veterinarians using tamed elephants finally succeeded in tranquilising the elusive big cat around 12.30 pm near Chikkaburgi village of Mysore district. According to the forest department officials, four teams comprising a veterinarian, a shooter, and a mahout with his elephant began the search for the man-eater.
After the man-eater was captured, villagers wanted it to be killed and put pressure on the forest officials. When the captured tiger was being shifted in a cage, the officials faced resistance from the villagers, who wanted to have a glimpse of the man-eater. The forest officials are now planning to shift the tiger to Bannerghatta National Park on the outskirts of Bangalore or Mysore Zoo. After the State Government ordered the shoot-at-sight order, the forest officials made renewed efforts on Thursday to track the man-eating tiger in Bandipur.
HC Kantharaju, Director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, supervised the operation. Even though forest department claimed to have captured the man-eater, some experts claim that it is not possible to authentically identify whether it is the same tiger. In such cases the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) does not permit officials to shoot down the man-eater.
An activist on the condition of anonymity said, “Officials depend on circumstances and the area to zero in on the tiger, as they have no scientific technique to identify it.” “Till today, unscientific methods have been employed in identifying killer tigers. Pug marks around the body and the spots where it is sighted cannot be compared. November-December being mating season, tigers move out of their territory in search of a mate, which diminishes chances of identifying them,” said another expert.
However a source in the forest department claimed they have the video footage of the man-eating tiger when it was sighted a few times on Saturday during the combing operation at Seegevadi haadi, but could not be darted due to a faulty gun.