Tigress That Killed Four in Vidarbha Dies After Capture En Route to Rescue Centre

A tigress that had been terrorising villages across Amravati and Wardha districts for nearly a month died on Monday while being transported to a wildlife rescue centre, shortly after forest officials tranquillised and captured it.

The big cat was subdued by a special forest department team in Shirjagaon Kasba village in Chandur Bazar taluka. Officials said it collapsed during the journey to the Wildlife Rescue Centre in Nagpur, and attempts to revive it on the way proved futile. A post-mortem will determine the exact cause of death.

The tigress had been on the move since mid-August, ranging from Ashti taluka in Wardha into the Varud, Morshi, and Chandur Bazar areas of Amravati. Over this period, it is confirmed to have killed four people: Rambhau Bhoyar (74) of Narsingpur on August 17, Charandas Ikhe (55) of Bhambora on August 27, Urmila Ivne (18) of Sonori on September 6, and Dinesh Aware (45) of Shirjagaon Kasba on September 7.

The back-to-back deaths on September 6 and 7 had stirred public anger, prompting authorities to launch a high-alert search operation. Teams used round-the-clock patrols, camera traps, thermal drones, and awareness campaigns to track the animal. District administration and police were deployed to prevent any law-and-order crisis.

The operation involved staff from the Amravati and Wardha forest divisions, the Melghat Tiger Project, the Akola forest department, a specialised team from Pune, along with police, honorary wildlife guards, and NGOs. The forest department has already provided immediate financial assistance to the families of the deceased.