A tiger was spotted moving on the outskirts of Bellampalli town in Mancherial district in Telangana on Saturday, creating a flutter among the people.
Forest officials said the tiger, named A2, was moving in Goleti and Kairiguda areas in the intervening night of May 29 and May 30 and it reached the outskirts of Bellampalli.
The Forest Divisional Officer, Bellampalli, placed three tiger tracking teams to track and monitor the movement of the tiger. They said the A2 tiger had returned towards Murliguda and Dharmaraopet forest areas and presently it was not near Bellampalli town.
"However, the monitoring teams are in place throughout the day and night for continuous monitoring," the forest department said.
Earlier, the tiger was found moving on the premises of the office of Bellampalli Forest Divisional Officer. Forest Divisional Officer S. Mazaruddin said the pug marks of the big cat were found in a corner of the office.
The adult male tiger migrated from the Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve of Chandrapur in neighbouring Maharashtra three months ago and has been searching for its territory in the Bellampalli, Thandur Rebbena and Tiryani forest ranges.
It recently killed some cattle and its presence in the area has sent panic among the people.
Meanwhile, Telangana's Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), R. Shobha has strictly called for following the wildlife protocols.
She said due to severe summer and effect of lockdown, the wildlife sights have increased in the neighborhoods. "It is clear that wildlife protocols should be strictly followed while protecting wildlife. Such operations should be carried out without any harm to animals, and to the safety of staff and public," she said, adding that mock drills were ordered to follow the protocol in all wildlife divisions.
Her comments come in the wake of an incident in which a leopard died allegedly due to botched rescue operation by forest officials. The leopard rescued from a snare in Rajapet thanda in Nalgonda district died while being shifted to Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad.
Wildlife conservations have demanded an inquiry into the incident. It is suspected the tranquiliser overdose or unprofessional handling of the animal while shifting it to the cage could have led to the death.
( With inputs from IANS )