A pugmark tiger photographed by dairy farmers near Torredu village in Rajamahendravaram rural mandal of East Godavari district on Sunday. | Photo credit: BY ARRANGEMENT
A transient male tiger, believed to be from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra, allegedly attacked and killed three cattle – a cow, a buffalo and a calf – in a cattle shed at Torredu village in Rajamahendravaram rural mandal of East Godavari district on Sunday (February 1).
The animal was last seen on the west bank of the Godavari river, before entering the Papikonda National Park in Eluru district on January 29. The tiger is said to have crossed the Godavari River through the Polavaram Irrigation Project to prey on cattle on the outskirts of Rajamahendravaram town. Forest personnel also spotted a male tiger within 150 meters of the killing spot around 11 am while monitoring its movement on Sunday.
Link to Tadoba
Forest officer B. Prabhakara Rao, who is heading the operation, said: “Two male tigers are reported to have left the TATR in early December 2025. One of them was first spotted in Khammam district after crossing the Pranahitha river in Telangana state before entering Eluru district in Andhra Pradesh.”
“Until Sunday, the male tiger had crossed two rivers – Pranahitha, a tributary of the Godavari, and the Godavari river adjacent to the Papikonda National Park. It then moved through the Polavaram Irrigation Project area where its pug tracks were recorded on January 31,” said Mr. Prabhakara Rao.
When searching for prey:
The tiger, which was said to have rested in Papikonda National Park for two days, resumed hunting prey – mostly cattle. The forest department has advised two-day holidays for schools in Rajamahendravaram rural area and has declared holidays for agricultural activities for several days.
Mr. Prabhakar Rao said that experts from Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP – Visakhapatnam) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) are being roped in to tranquilize the tiger. Dairies were promised compensation for the loss of cattle killed by the tiger.
Published – 01 Feb 2026 21:15 IST
