'Man-killing' tigress captured

A tigress alleged to have killed three people has been caught alive after a massive five-day hunt which saw the state deploy five teams of men, drones, cameras and elephants.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Sanjai Mohan confirmed that the animal was successfully tranquilized at about 2 pm today and is currently in the process of being moved to a cage, pending its transfer to the rehabilitation centre of the Mysore Zoo later this evening.

According to sources, the animal was captured within Maguvanahalli, a heavily forested area inside Bandipur National Park. An eyewitness explained that one team was responsible for tranquilizing the animal but that the animal is currently unconscious.

PCCF (wildlife) Mohan explained that further details are still pending because this team is still deep in the forest, beyond radio cover. “However, we do know that the tiger is in stable condition and that they are trying to get into a cage,” he added.

In all, the state Forest Department deployed 150 men, drones, six elephants and nearly 140 camera traps to find the tiger, which is alleged to have killed two farmers - in September and on October 8 on the outskirts of the national park.