India sends ‘man-eater’ tiger to a lifetime in captivity

A TIGER blamed for killing three people will spend the rest of its life in captivity, Indian officials said on Sunday, saying the big cat was “too dangerous” to be allowed to roam free.

The five-year-old male predator, also blamed for attacking cattle, had embarked on a trek more than 500km long from western Maharashtra state to central India’s Betul district in Madhya Pradesh state in 2018.

Madhya Pradesh’s chief wildlife warden SK Mandal said: “We gave it several chances to re-wild but it habitually went into human habitations”

“The only option left was to put it in captivity to ensure both the tiger and humans are safe.”

The tiger – dubbed the “vagabond” or “nomad” by some local media – was first trapped in December 2018 after its long journey and held in captivity for two months.

The big cat was eventually fitted with a tracking collar and shuttled between a tiger reserve and a national park.

But officials said it repeatedly strayed and hunted near human settlements, attacking cattle and endangering humans.

Finally, the tiger was tranquilised and sent to a zoo in Madhya Pradesh capital’s Bhopal on Saturday.

Officials said the decision to capture the adult tiger was taken a few months ago but was delayed due to the novel coronavirus lockdown.

Bhopal’s Van Vihar National Park director Kamlika Mohanta said: “It will take some time for him to adjust to the new environment. We will be monitoring his behaviour.