The Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu): It has been four days since Tamil Nadu Chief Wildlife Warden Shekhar Kumar Niraj issued an order to hunt down the big cat T-23. Forest officials and special teams continue combing the forests for the tiger as the search for the notorious tiger continues for the last nine days.
The search operation on Saturday did not yield any significant results. The forest teams could not trace the tiger which remains elusive. For the first time, a sniffer dog is used to find the tiger's location. Specially trained Four Elite teams have come from Coimbatore to Mudumalai for this operation.
Meanwhile, a case was filed in The Madras High Court against the order issued to shoot the tiger. Responding to it, Chief Wildlife Warden has said that they are trying to sedate the tiger and capture it. The forest department has no intention of killing the tiger. He expressed his optimism that the big cat will be nabbed in two days.
After the tiger has killed four people in Masinagudi, pressure is mounting on authorities to deal with the notorious tiger. Tamil Nadu Chief Wildlife Warden Shekhar Kumar Niraj issued an order to hunt down T23. Five special teams were formed after the order was issued.
The forest department order observed that the tiger attacks started happening from July onwards. The male tiger aged 10 - 11 years was found to be injured in the territorial fight with other tigers. It strayed into the fringes and looking for easy prey. The tiger has become dangerous to humans and livestock.
After careful consideration of the reports submitted by the Gudalur Forest Office and the Nilgiris district collector, the Chief Wildlife Warden has issued the order to capture the problematic tiger under section 11 of the Wildlife Protection Act and by the provisions issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Masinagudi, which falls under Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, is known for hits man-animal conflict.
Read: Special team arrives at Masinakudi to hunt down the tiger
