Forest officials step up vigil after spotting big cat

Mysuru: Forest department officials on Saturday continued their vigil, and intensified their operation in the surroundings of Moodalahundi after a tiger was sighted there last week.
As the movement of the tiger was spotted on the road near the Doddekallu Reserve Forest area in Moodalahundi and in the vicinity of Morarji Desai Residential School on T Narasipura-Mysuru Road a week ago, the Mysuru territorial division forest department deployed a force as a precaution and alerted nearby villagers.They had also launched combing operations after the big cat’s movement was caught in a camera trap.
Officials have placed additional cages at strategic locations to catch the big cat. This is the second time that a big cat has been spotted near human habitats in Mysuru taluk after six months. Earlier, a tiger was spotted near Doddakanya.
The forest department has installed night vision cameras at eight different strategic locations to track the movement of the tiger that was spotted in a village bordering Varakodu reserve forest in Mysuru taluk.
The villagers living in the vicinity of Doddekallu reserve forest like Varakodu and Moodalahundi and the students of Morarji Desai Residential School at Varakodu are living in constant fear after the sightings of the tiger. The department deployed a special squad at the Morarji Desai Residential School at Varakodu for round-the-clock monitoring to instil courage to its inmates.
Speaking to STOI, deputy conservator of forests (territorial) Basavaraj said the department personnel have confirmed the movement of the tiger by its camera traps installed in the area.
Officials have intensified their operation to nab the big cat. Night patrolling in villages located close to forest has also been stepped up after confirming the movement of a tiger, he said.