Maharashtra Tiger Blamed For 8 Human Kills, Captured, Set To Spend Rest Of Its Life In A Zoo

A man-eater tiger, which had allegedly killed at least eight persons in the last 21 months, was captured by the forest department in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district.

The tiger, officially named RT-1, was captured by Rajura forest department under central Chanda division in Chandrapur circle on Tuesday.

Muvvala Kondala Rao IFS

"A special trap was set up under a railway bridge in compartment no. 179. An expert team rushed to the spot and shot tranquiliser dart to render the animal unconscious," said NR Praveen, chief conservator of forest of Chandrapur circle.

The big cat had killed eight persons and 25 cattle since January 2019, he said.

"The troubling tiger of Rajura, RT1 was captured successfully, by Maharashtra Forest Department," Muvvala Kondala Rao, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (ITP), Maharashtra Forest Department wrote on Twitter.

Following its capture, RT-1 was shifted to Gorewada wildlife rescue centre in Nagpur on Wednesday.

Muvvala Kondala Rao IFS

The tiger has been kept in isolation and is under observation of veterinarians and forest personnel at the rescue centre, divisional manager Gorewada project Nagpur, P B Panchbhai, said in a release.

As per the preliminary medical examination, the big cat has some wounds on his face and is being treated for the same, he added.

Earlier this month, the Maharashtra Forest Department had initiated the hunt for the elusive tiger after it claimed its latest victim, an elderly villager, who was mauled to death on September 28, after he ventured into a forest for firewood in Khambada, around 660 kilometres from Mumbai.

Though the villagers had blamed RT-1 for eight human deaths in two years, wildlife conservationists had argued that there was no proof to conclude that all the kills were made by the same big cat.

Many had also expressed fears that RT-1 could have the same fate as Avni, a tigress from Yavatmal which was shot dead in 2018. Avni ,who was nursing two cubs at the time, was shot dead in November amid an outcry by environmentalists.

Twitter

Following the Forest Department's decision to capture RT-1, conservationists had appealed to Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, urging him not to capture the tiger until it is proven to be behind the kills.

The capture of RT-1 is yet another grim reminder of the increasing human-animal conflict in Maharashtra.

This year alone, 33 people have been killed in tiger attacks in Maharashtra - the highest ever - and a total of six man-eating tigers have been captured by the authorities.