Tiger kills cow near Turkapally, villagers put on alert
TELANGANA: Tension prevailed in villages within a 10 to 15 km radius of Turkapally mandal in Yadadri Bhongir district after a tiger attacked and killed a cow on Monday evening, triggering fresh fear among residents.
Forest officials issued an urgent advisory asking villagers not to venture out after dark or enter nearby forest areas. The incident was almost witnessed by cattle rearer G Srisailam of Dattayapalli village, who had a narrow escape.
Cattle rearer narrowly escapes
Recounting the incident, Srisailam said he took four cows for grazing in forested areas on the village outskirts around 4 pm. Within half an hour, he noticed two cows fleeing in panic and rushed to the spot.
He found one cow grievously injured with deep wounds on its neck. The animal died moments later. Terrified, Srisailam fled and alerted fellow villagers. While one cow returned, two others remained in the forest, raising fears that they could fall prey to the animal.
Pug marks confirm tiger presence
The incident comes barely a week after another cattle kill was reported from Ibrahimpur village, about six to seven km from Dattayapalli. Following that attack, forest officials had installed trap cameras to track tiger movement.
A forest department team led by Forest Range Officer Ramesh Naik was reviewing camera footage when news of the fresh kill came in. The team rushed to Dattayapalli and found pug marks near the carcass, confirming the presence of a tiger.
Officials said the animal is likely to return to the kill within a day or two. Additional trap cameras are being installed at the site.
As a precaution, residents of Dattayapalli, Ibrahimpur, Turkapally, Timmapur, Baswapur and Ralla Jangaon villages have been advised to stay indoors after dark and avoid forest areas until further notice.
