Male tiger captured after killing 3 people in Chandrapur

A three-year-old male tiger (NT-1) was tranquilised and captured by the forest department at Talodi range, Brahmapuri forest division in Chandrapur on Sunday evening.

A three-year-old male tiger (NT-1) was tranquilised and captured by the forest department at Talodi range, Brahmapuri forest division in Chandrapur on Sunday evening. Forest officials said the tiger was responsible for the death of three people over the past month. The latest death was reported on Saturday evening, near Visapur village. The state chief wildlife warden (PCCF) issued orders to capture the tiger on Sunday morning, and the animal was darted at 5.45pm. After a medical examination, the tiger will be transported to the Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur and kept in captivity for the time being.

A three-year-old male tiger (NT-1) was tranquilised and captured by the forest department. (HT Photo)

“There was a threat to the safety of human life if the tiger was not captured immediately,” said Nitin Kakodkar, PCCF (Wildlife).

Kulraj Singh, deputy conservator of forest, Brahmapuri said the first two kills were reported on June 18 and July 4 in Nagbhid range. “Attacks were at farmlands adjoining forests. A decision on releasing the tiger will be taken later.”

The incident comes five days after another sub-adult tigress was tranquilised at a rice mill in Sindevahi town in Chandrapur on July 14 but released soon after at an undisclosed location.

So far, four tigers, involved in the conflict, have been captured by the forest department this year. The first case was in May when a tiger from Brahmapuri was captured in Gondia, said to have killed four people across two forest divisions. The next two cases were in June where a sub-adult male tiger that killed five people between February and June, was captured from the buffer area of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, and an adult tigress that had entered a house in Nagbhid range of Brahmapuri was captured on June 22. Both tigers captured in June died at the rescue centre, one due to old age and the other due to septicaemia.

HT had reported on June 12 that the state chief wildlife warden had warned of increasing human-animal conflict cases in Chandrapur, which is home to over 170 of 312 tigers in Maharashtra. There have been 27 human deaths reported due to tiger attacks between January and July this year.