COIMBATORE: As fears of a prowling tiger loom over Mavanalla village at Gudalur taluk of the Nilgiris, the forest has made arrangements for the students from a remote area to be ferried by jeeps to their schools.
Two cattle had recently fallen prey to the tiger, keeping the hilly locality on its toes. As fears escalated, the villagers knocked on the forest department's door for assistance. Following the request of the fear-stricken residents, the forest department arranged for transportation, considering the safety of the students. The department also took up patrolling, fixed around 24 cameras to monitor the movement of the tiger and started removing the thickets by engaging excavators.
"We could not spot any signs of the tiger's presence despite monitoring by fixing 24 cameras. Yet, a slew of precautionary measures were being taken to avoid any conflict. Students were picked up from the village in the morning and dropped back after school in the evening. Also, the villagers were warned through the public address system against venturing out alone in the dark," said Dhanabalan, Forest Range Officer, Masinagudi Range.