Overview
- The tiger killed 14 calves in Indukuru/Gangampalem in the early hours of Wednesday, renewing panic in fringe villages of Polavaram district.
- Forest authorities have escalated efforts with about 200 personnel, six rapid‑response teams, four tranquilisation teams, drone and VHF units, cage and ambulance teams, and 21 HANUMAN monitoring units.
- Officials say the male tiger was rehabilitated into Papikonda National Park from Maharashtra’s Tadoba‑Andhari reserve and has been roaming the area for nearly four months with earlier livestock attacks in late May.
- Residents in Polavaram project resettlement areas have been warned to avoid night movements, will be offered compensation for losses, and many households face fresh economic strain from repeated cattle deaths.
- Tranquillisation and capture operations are ongoing and a team of Bengaluru wildlife experts has been requested to join, a move that signals the technical difficulty of safely removing a free‑ranging tiger from close to populated settlements.