24 Hrs On, Proposal Sent To Capture Tiger That Killed 4

Chandrapur: A day after four women collecting tendu leaves were killed in a tiger attack in the Sindewahi forest range of Chandrapur district, the forest department on Saturday initiated the process to capture the feline. Officials are first trying to ascertain whether the attacks were carried out by a male tiger or a tigress with sub-adult cubs present in the area.Chief conservator of forests (CCF), Chandrapur, RM Ramanujam said a proposal has been forwarded to PCCF (Wildlife) seeking permission for the capture operation complying with the Standard Operating Procedure (SoP). He said the Rapid Response Team (RRT) from Tadoba, led by veterinary expert Dr Ravikant Khobragade, has reached Sindewahi for preparatory work, including identifying locations for baiting and constructing machans etc.Forest officials have installed three live cameras and nearly 30 camera traps in the area to identify the animal involved in the killings."There is an independent male tiger as well as a tigress with sub-adult cubs in the area. Once the problem tiger is identified, capture operation will formally begin," Ramanujam said.The CCF pointed out that the attack site had already been marked as a sensitive zone due to frequent tiger movement, and villagers had been repeatedly warned against entering deep into forest areas. As per officials, a forest patrol team had earlier evacuated a group of women from the same area on May 14.The process to disburse Rs25 lakh compensation to family of each victim has also begun. An immediate relief of Rs10 lakh will be provided on Sunday, while the remaining amount will be released after completion of formalities. Earlier on Friday, each family was given ex-gratia aid of Rs25,000.