Forest officials maintain that the situation is under control. District forest officer Sudhakar Reddy says the tiger’s movement is being closely tracked by three teams of five personnel each and insists it is unlikely to remain in the area due to the absence of a viable prey base. ‘Not a man-eater’Officials also emphasise that the animal is not a man-eater, citing its nocturnal habits and lack of direct encounters with humans. Yet the pattern of livestock kills, including a calf tied with a nylon rope and the suspected lifting of a dog, suggests a predator adapting to human-dominated terrain rather than merely passing through it.On the ground, the response remains limited and reactive. Camera traps are being placed only where fresh pugmarks appear, a strategy that follows past movement instead of anticipating future routes. Despite weeks of confirmed tiger activity across northern and central Telangana, from Asifabad and Mancherial to Siddipet and Kamareddy, there has been no comprehensive landscape-level assessment of potential movement paths or conflict zones beyond immediate kill sites.Evading detection?Crucially, officials acknowledge that the tiger has not yet been captured on any trap camera. This has fuelled speculation within the department that the animal may be deliberately altering its route to evade detection, a sign of a mature and experienced tiger. Even so, there has been no escalation in monitoring, no deployment of additional tracking teams, and no use of advanced tools such as drone-based thermal imaging, which is standard protocol in high-risk wildlife movement situations elsewhere.More telling is what the department lacks. There are no cages positioned in the district, no tranquilising equipment on standby, and no specialised rapid response team trained to handle large carnivores. Senior officials privately admit that if the tiger intensifies livestock attacks or shows signs of aggression, equipment and expertise would have to be requisitioned from the Hyderabad zoo, a process that could take precious hours or days.Set for longer inningsThis lack of readiness stands in sharp contrast to the unusual nature of the situation. Forest officials themselves have described the tiger’s arrival in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri as historically significant, given that the Ibrahimpur reserve forest spans just 259 hectares, far short of the 5,000-plus hectares a resident tiger typically needs. Beat officers say the animal may be assessing habitat suitability while searching for territory or a mate. However, its continued presence near water bodies, including ponds inside the reserve and the Baswapur reservoir, suggests it can sustain itself longer than initially expected.For villagers, uncertainty has become routine. In Ibrahimpur, Ralla Jangaon, Baswapur and surrounding habitations, doors shut before dusk, farm work is compressed into daylight hours, and cattle are guarded overnight with fires and group patrols. Elders recall tiger movement from half a century ago, but today’s landscape is denser, fragmented and far more volatile.Growing anxietyAn equally grave threat now looms over the tiger itself. Fear-driven retaliation poses a greater danger than official intervention. Anxiety is growing that villagers may poison carcasses, electrify fences or contaminate water sources to protect lives and livestock. Warnings have been issued, but without sustained engagement, compensation clarity or visible containment measures, they risk ringing hollow.For now, the department appears to be relying on the tiger to leave on its own. The animal remains unseen, unphotographed and uncontained, yet undeniably present, exposing the fragile edge where wildlife management, administrative readiness and human tolerance intersect uncomfortably close to the city.Calf killed in Dattayapalli Panic gripped Dattayapalli village in Turkapally mandal after a tiger killed a calf near a village well. Farmer Gotte Srisailam was grazing his cattle in the area when the calf strayed from the herd to graze on its own. He did not witness the attack, but the calf was later found mauled to death, triggering fear among residents. The incident has left villagers distressed, with locals urging forest officials to intervene immediately, capture the tiger and ensure the safety of people and livestock, as repeated attacks continue to unsettle the village.
