An aged tigress that strayed into human habitations in Kurnool District a fortnight ago is recovering in the Tirupati Zoo, presently too weak even to walk. Conservator of forests and field director of Project Tiger in Srisailam S. Saravanan told The Hindu that the tigress is being given medication and watched for its ability to survive in the wild.
“If it gains adequate strength to hunt we will let is loose in the forest. But if it continues to be weak, we will keep her in the zoo,” he said. Foresters have been surprised by this case of a tigress straying into human habitations.
There have not been too many such incidents in Kurnool, which falls under the Nagarjunasagar Project Tiger area. There are frequent leopard and sloth bear sightings though. The tigress is an indication that there is a variety of fauna in the Kurnool forest, Mr. Saravanan said.
The tigress was first spotted in an agricultural field by the people of Naguletikona village in Atmakur mandal on July 13. Forest officials arrived and examined the pug marks. Meanwhile, the tiger moved to Venkatapuram, where it tried to kill a goat but was driven away by villagers.
Foresters led by Naveen Kumar managed to tranquilise the big cat on July 17. Mr. Saravanan and his staff examined the tigress and found her to be 12 years old, with all her canine teeth eroded. She had been starving. The life span of a tiger in the wild is between eight and 15 years. Those in zoos live longer, up to 20 years.
Mr. Saravanan says the tigress must have been driven out by other tigers from the Nallamala forests of Srisailam. Tigers are solitary and territorial animals, unlike lions which live and hunt in groups. Young and strong tigers hunt deer and other wild animals in forests. It is the weak ones that go in search of weak prey like cattle, goats and sheep on village fringes.
