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Andhra intensifies search for elusive royal bengal tiger ‘Explorer’, livestock attacks
The Andhra Pradesh forest department is tracking a male tiger named Explorer, which has roamed the Godavari region for six months, causing livestock attacks.
The Andhra Pradesh forest department has intensified efforts to track and safely capture an elusive male Royal Bengal tiger named “Explorer”, which has been roaming across the Godavari region for the past six months and triggered panic among villagers following repeated livestock attacks, people familiar with the matter said.
Nearly 100 forest personnel, assisted by wildlife experts, specialised tracking teams, thermal drones, trap cameras and radio-collar monitoring systems, have been deployed across the Eluru, Rajamahendravaram, Kakinada and Chintoor forest divisions surrounding the Papikonda National Park (PNP).
The tiger has been moving through dense forests, hilly terrain and agricultural plantations. Over the past week, the forest department stepped up surveillance following reports of its movement in Gopalapuram mandal of East Godavari district, particularly around Karakapadu, Nandigudem and Tokkireddigudem villages, based on fresh pugmarks.
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On July 30, the tiger entered Mangapathi Devi Peta village in Koyyalagudem mandal of Eluru district, where it allegedly attacked and killed two cows on the outskirts. The incident prompted the forest department to strengthen surveillance and expand monitoring into nearby villages and forest fringes.
Officials said the tiger has also been moving near Jalleru in West Godavari district, where calves were reportedly killed, indicating that it continues to rely on livestock as prey while moving through agricultural landscapes.
“Initially, 60 personnel divided into five specialised teams were deployed to monitor the tiger’s movements using drones, trap cameras and field surveillance. The operation has since been expanded, with nearly 100 forest personnel, wildlife experts from Pune, Maharashtra, and thermal drone teams joining the search as the tiger continued moving across multiple forest divisions,” a senior forest official said.
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Senior officials, including the chief conservator of forests (Rajamahendravaram) and the divisional forest officer, Eluru, have visited the affected areas to review the operation and coordinate field teams.
According to the forest official, Explorer was first spotted in the Papikondalu area in February. It is believed to have left its native habitat in the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra in December 2025 and travelled through Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Telangana before entering Andhra Pradesh, covering more than 650 kilometres and eventually adapting to the Godavari landscape.
