A tiger housed in Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district has travelled almost 200 km to enter Hingoli in the northern part of Marathwada region, an forest official said on Friday.
The big cat has hunted four cows in the area and his movement has been reported only in the agricultural belt, the official told PTI.
"The full-grown tiger has a radio collar fitted on him, and a team from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is currently monitoring his movements," forest official Keshav Wable said.
The tiger has hunted four cows in villages of Hingoli taluka during his travels, he said, adding that the pug marks of the big cat have been tracked and the authorities have been receiving updates about his location every 12 hours.
Trap cameras have been installed at Khandala and Kalgaon to track the runaway big cat, he added.
"The tiger is currently moving around in the non-jungle area of Hingoli, where most of the land is under cultivation," Wable said.
The WII team's findings suggest that he is not a man-eater, but may attack if threatened, the official said.
"We are monitoring his movements and there is a possibility that the tiger may move towards Melghat. Our teams are deployed in the surrounding areas," the official told, and added that if the big cat remains in the agricultural area then senior authorities will have to issue further guidelines.
Tracing the big cat's travels, Wable said, the tiger has travelled a distance of around 200 km.
"The runaway tiger crossed over to Telangana and returned to Tipeshwar. He then crossed Penganga in Umarkhed area and further moved to Isapur Sanctuary and moved to Pusad-Washim border and finally entering Hingoli," Wable said.