Forest staff launch operation to nab killer tiger

MYSORE: The forest department on Saturday launched an operation to track the tiger that killed a tribal in Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BRT).
This comes on a day when Chamarajanagar district minister H S Mahadeva Prasad visited the family of Javaraiah, who was killed in the attack by the big cat, and handed over compensation of Rs 4 lakh. He told the villagers that the forest department will increase the patrolling in the area to ensure their safety.The foresters had extended Rs 1 lakh as compensation to the family on Friday soon after the tragedy.
Prasad visited Maddur Colony, the tribal resettlement colony, 18km from Gundlupet, and assured the anxious villagers of heightened security cover. "It is a matter of grave concern that a tiger has attacked and killed the villager. We have launched an operation to track down the tiger," he stated. During his visit, the villagers shared their anxiety, saying that they don't want to live in fear. They asked the minister to ensure that the tiger is captured. Prasad, who represents Gundlupet in the assembly, assured them that he is serious about tackling the situation.
The foresters visited the site where the tribal was killed. They could not find any pug marks there. A cage has now been kept on the tiger reserve's outer periphery to nab the tiger. "We will patrol some 10km area along the sanctuary's boundary. We should be able to locate the tiger if it is aged," an official involved in the operations told STOI.
The official, who didn't wish to be quoted, said that cattle are being used as baits. "There are doubts that Javaraiah is killed by a tiger, as there are no pug marks at the site. But two eye-witnesses have said that it was indeed a tiger that felled him. We are patrolling the area, looking for the tiger inside the reserve," he added.
The officials said that five elephants -- Kanti, Lakshmi, Rohit, Krishna and Jayaprakash -- have been summoned from the elephant camps in BTR to assist the ground staff. Field director (Project Tiger) C Srinivasan visited the area, while BTR director H C Kantharaju is camping in the area.