ADILABAD: A tiger, which is suspected to have killed two persons in Maharashtra and one in Telangana in the past few weeks, was captured by a rapid response team of the Maharashtra forest department in the Rajura taluka on Tuesday night.Officials said a rapid response team was deployed in the Virur forest range near Amruthguda village in Maharashtra after people from the village sought the capture of the tiger as it was moving about in and around the area.After the death of two persons in tiger attacks in the same taluk last month, the officials deployed the rapid response team, which successfully tranquilised it.The captured tiger is currently held at the Transit Treatment Centre (TTC) at Chandrapur, said Rajura sub-divisional forest officer Pawan Kumar Jong.The forest officials said they have taken the tiger’s blood samples to match with samples taken from human victims of tiger attacks in the last month to confirm if this tiger was responsible for the two deaths in Maharashtra, and that of Morle Laxmi in Telangana in November 2024.People from villages in Telangana in the Kagaznagar Forest Division, especially Itikalpahad, expressed happiness over the capture of the tiger.Though initially it was believed that the captured tiger was a six-year-old, nicknamed Johnny, Chandrapur DCF Adesh Kumar said it was too early to fully establish its identity.The captured tiger is believed to be the one that entered the Boath area in Telangana from Maharashtra in search of a mate, and subsequently, roamed in Nirmal district and entered into Utnoor and Narnoor, and moved in the Itikalpahad area passing through Wankidi on the interstate border.Responding to the news of Chandrapur forest officials capturing the tiger, Imran Siddiqui, senior field conservationist, CWS India and member of Telangana State Board Wildlife, said, “Managing the conflict situations effectively not only ensures the safety of the local communities but also reinforces public trust and support for tiger conservation efforts. Addressing such challenges sensitively is crucial for maintaining a balance between conservation priorities and community well-being,” he observed.
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