Forest dept denies tiger sighting video

The Telangana forest department on Saturday dismissed reports published in a section of the media and a video making the rounds on social media of a tiger following a group of people, allegedly in Kumaram Bheem-Asifabad district, as fake.

In a statement, the department said the video, that shows some people shouting at a tiger and forcing it to retreat, was shot in Anjanwadi forests of Yavatmal district in Maharashtra in October, and not in Asifabad district as claimed by some media reports.

Some people have been claiming that this tiger was seen in the Bejjur forests of Asifabad district, C.P. Vinod Kumar, Adilabad circle chief conservator of forests and field director of Kawal Tiger Reserve said. It may be recalled that people in several villages in Asifabad district, particularly in Dahegaon mandal, have been living in some fear of a tiger after a 22year-old man, Sidam Vignesh, was killed by a tiger on November 11 when he, along with two youngsters ventured into the forest near Digida village, where he used to live.

Following the incident, the forest department deployed several teams of tiger trackers, set up four trap cages and has stepped up monitoring the movements of any large cats in the area. “In Asifabad district alone, 32 teams have been deployed, camera traps have been installed and tiger movements are being constantly tracked and monitored,” Vinod Kumar said.

He also urged people not to believe rumours or fake forwards on social media claiming tiger presence in forest or near villages unless otherwise confirmed by the forest department which was taking every possible measure to ensure no conflicts take place between wild animals and humans.