Hyderabad
Foresters of the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve are looking for a tigress whose four cubs lost their way and entered a village adjacent to the Nallamala forest range in Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyal district on Monday.
Villagers of Pedda Gummadapuram of Kothapalle block on the fringes of Nallamala forest rescued four female tiger cubs near a bush about 100 metre away from the village when they were being hounded by stray dogs on Monday afternoon, field director of the tiger reserve and chief conservator of forests Y Srinivas Reddy told reporters on Tuesday.
“They shifted the cubs to a local shed and informed the local forest officer, who along with his staff rushed to the spot. On receiving information, deputy director of Project Tiger, Atmakur, along with forest range officer, anti-poaching squad of Srisailam and veterinary doctors reached the village, took control of the cubs and shifted them to the forest range office,” Reddy said.
All four cubs were healthy and aged about three to four months. “The animal trackers cordoned off the area and laid camera traps to locate the mother tiger, which has been identified with number 108 under the Pedda Gummadapuram forest beat. We suspect that it is roaming within the radius of 2km from the area where it lost its cubs,” he said.
The authorities left the cubs in the area where their mother was suspected to be moving, but they returned where they were originally traced. “Since it was too hot in the area due to the scorching summer, we shifted them back to the forest office where the authorities have provided full protection, providing them water and milk,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The authorities left the cubs in the area where their mother was suspected to be moving, but they returned where they were originally traced. “Since it was too hot in the area due to the scorching summer, we shifted them back to the forest office where the authorities have provided full protection, providing them water and milk,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Reddy said the forest department had constituted a committee to track down the tigeress as per the standing operating procedure (SOP) of the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India, New Delhi. “We are trying to locate the tigress based on its pug marks and through camera traps,” he said.
The field director cautioned villagers against moving near the forest, as there was a possibility that the tigress is enraged on losing its cubs.
If the tigress was found within 24-48 hours and took the cubs back, they would be safe, the forester said. “Otherwise, we should go by the protocol prescribed by the NTCA, like constitution of a committee to decide on how to rear the cubs,” he said.
Reddy said it was rare for a tigress giving birth to four cubs, that too all females. “There is also a possibility that the tigress might reject the cubs even if they were restored to her because they have been in human custody for two days,” he said.
Otherwise, the cubs would have to be groomed in a forest environment like zoo, where they would be grown till they learn to hunt. “Later, we can release them in the tiger reserve,” he added.