The forest department staff from the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) on Tuesday continued their search for the tiger that attacked and killed a 50-year-old adivasi woman in the Singara Forest Range on Monday.
Deputy Director of MTR (buffer zone) L.C.S.Srikanth said that a search was undertaken on Tuesday in around five sq. km. area surrounding the site where the incident occurred by a team of forest department staff. “Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were used to get a bird’s eye view of the surrounding area and to try and spot the tiger,” said Mr. Srikanth. However, the department officials were unsuccessful in their efforts.
Six camera traps were also set up in the area on Monday in an attempt to capture an image of the animal. The camera traps were checked on Tuesday morning, but there were no images captured on the devices either, officials said.
Mr. Srikanth said that efforts would continue to identify the tiger that attacked the woman. “We are also comparing census data from previous years to ascertain which tiger or tigers use that particular range of habitat, so we can narrow down the candidates,” he added. Such an exercise would be useful in figuring out whether the tiger that attacked the woman was a female with cubs or an older male. They said that the age, physical condition and other factors of the tiger would be important indicators on whether the attack on Monday was incidental. It would also dictate the next course of action to be pursued by the Forest Department.
Officials have also warned local residents to stay away from the reserve forests and not follow their livestock into the forests to graze. Interim compensation was handed over to the next of kin of the deceased on Monday, with officials promising that full compensation would be dispersed in a time-bound manner.
Forest department staff will continue to patrol the area over the next few days to ensure that people are safe and that the animal does not venture close to human habitation. Officials said that they believe that the attack was a one-off, incidental event. Vehicles fitted with microphones would be used to inform people to stay inside their homes, especially after nightfall.
