Odisha govt to capture tigress Sundari, keep it in enclosure

The Odisha government said on Monday that it will capture tigress 'Sundari', who has allegedly killed a lot of people in Angul district, and keep it in an enclosure.

Major political parties and local people have demanded the shifting of the big cat from the Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary in Angul district.

A 60-year-old man was mauled to death allegedly by the tigress on Sunday morning and on Monday it killed a bullock, officials said.

Earlier, the tigress had allegedly killed a woman on September 12, they said.

"Safety of the people is our priority. The state government has decided to capture the animal and keep it in an enclosure in Satkosia area," PCCF (wildlife) Sandip Tripathy told reporters here.

Tripathy said two teams are ready to start tranquillisation of the tigress which was translocated from Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh to Satkosia.

"We have already taken up the matter with the authorities of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun," he said.

Seeking cooperation from the local people, Tripathy said the teams are unable to enter the forest due to prevailing tension in a nearby village.

"I appeal to people to cooperate with the forest department," Tripathy said.

All the major political parties in the state have demanded the shifting of the tigress from the area.

"I have requested the chief minister and the central government to shift the tigress from Satkosia area," BJD's Atthmalik MLA Sanjeeb Kumar Sahoo said.

In a statement issued here, Odisha Congress president Niranjan Patnaik alleged that the tigress had killed two people.

"It is now assumed that the state government has let the people be killed, by not taking the situation seriously. The animal should immediately be shifted to some other place or it might be kept in an enclosure," Patnaik said.

The BJP also demanded shifting of the tigress as it has become a threat for the locals.