Killer tigress turns ‘problem animal’ for Bor villagers

Nagpur: Be it the crack of the dawn or the fall of the dusk, villagers around Bor Tiger Reserve are reeling under constant threat of wild beast that killed as many as three people in Brahmapuri forest. Now this big cat – a full grown tigress has been tagged as a ‘problem animal’. Despite the villagers’ stiff oppostion, the forest authorities have released the said tigress in Bor Tiger Reserve. However the forest department claims that its officials are keeping a constant watch on every activity of the tigress which has been radio collared now.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) and chief wildlife warden of the state, A K Mishra has assured that he would take every measure for the safety of villagers but the villagers have refused to buy his assurance.It was earlier reported that the forest department had earlier given shoot orders for the tigress, but the department faced heavy criticism for the decision.

Later, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High court quashed the shoot order. Forest officials eventually captured the tigress on July 10 after tranquillising it. The animal has now been fitted with a radio collar so officials can track its behaviour, based on which, they will decide whether or not to release it in the wild.

Sources said that local villagers staying outside Bor were angry that the tigress had been released there, but the forest department did not succumb to pressure and took a call that was right for the tigress and the human residents.

A committee that was appointed to study the case, submitted its report to the PCCF, after which the decision was made to release the tigress.

Bor has sizeable tree cover and more space since the relocation of the Navargaon village. This is crucial for the 2-year-old tigress, which is trying to establish its territory. The Bor tiger reserve is 138 sq km and is said to have 10 tigers, including five cubs.