A transient male tiger, believed to be a native of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra is said to have attacked and killed three cattle – a cow, a bufallo and a calf – in a cattle shed in Torredu village in Rajamahendravaram rural mandal, in East Godavari district on Sunday (February 1).

The animal was last sighted on the river Godavari’s wester bank, before entering the Papikonda National Park in Eluru district on January 29. The tiger is said to have swam the river Godavari via the Polavaram irrigation project, to prey on cattle on the outskirts of Rajamahendravaram city. Forest personnel also sighted the male tiger within 150 metres of the kill site at around 11 a.m. while monitoring its movements on Sunday.

Tadoba link

East Godavari District forest officer B. Prabhakara Rao who is leading the operations told, “Early in December 2025, two male tigers are said to have left the TATR. One of them was first seen in Khammam district after it crossed the river Pranahitha in Telangana State before entering Eluru district in Andhra Pradesh.”

“By Sunday, the male tiger swam two rivers – Pranahitha, a tributary of the Godavari and the Godavari river adjacent to the Papikonda National Park. It further moved via the Polavaram Irrigation Project area, where its pug marks were recorded on January 31”, said Mr. Prabhakara Rao. 

In search of prey:

The tiger, which reportedly rested for two days in the Papikonda National Park, resumed its hunt for prey – mostly cattle. The Forest Department has recommended a two-day holiday for schools in the Rajamahendravaram rural area and declare a holiday for agricultural activities for some days. 

Mr. Prabhakar Rao said that experts from the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP – Visakhapatnam) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) are being roped to tranquilise the tiger. Dairy farmers have been promised compensation for the loss of cattle, killed by the tiger.