Andhra Pradesh forest officers search for tigress that abandoned cubs near Nadyal village

Andhra Pradesh

By SNV Sudhir

March 8, 2023

40 camera traps have been set up by the forest authorities around the Pedda Gummadapuram village of Andhra Pradesh to trace a tigress so she may be reunited with her cubs.

Andhra Pradesh

Residents of Pedda Gummadapuram rescued the four female cubs at the Atmakur forest limits adjoining the village on the morning of Monday, 6 March.

Andhra Pradesh

“Two of them growled when we tried to approach them. But then we shifted them into small baskets and took them to a private godown,” said a resident of the village.

Andhra Pradesh

Later, the forest authorities arrived at the spot and shifted them to the Bairluty government veterinary hospital. Now, efforts to trace the mother tigress and reunite her with the cubs is on.

Andhra Pradesh

“These cubs must be above two months. They are healthy.” Atmakur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Alan Chong Teron told South First.

Andhra Pradesh

“We will wait for a few days to trace, we will take a call after the chief wildlife warden takes a final decision on whether the cubs would be released back into the wild or transferred to a zoo,” the DFO said.

Andhra Pradesh

The re-wilding process — the imparting of the skills the cubs would need to survive there — should be carried out for at least two years, said another senior forest official.

Andhra Pradesh

The Atmakur forest range comes under Nagarajunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve. It is estimated to have at least 75 tigers.

Andhra Pradesh

It attained the status of a tiger reserve in 1983. NSTR spreads across the Prakasam, Nandyal, and Palnadu Districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Pradesh