Bringing significant relief to border villages, the radio-collared Royal Bengal tiger that had strayed into the Motu Range of Odisha’s Malkangiri district from Andhra Pradesh’s Papikonda landscape has crossed back into Andhra Pradesh territory.
According to an official press release issued on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, by Malkangiri Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sai Kiran DN, telemetry tracking confirmed the big cat is currently located approximately 7 km inside Andhra Pradesh from the inter-state border.
Inter-State Coordination & Protocols
While the tiger’s retreat brings immediate respite to local border hamlets in Motu block that experienced days of anxiety following local sightings, state forest authorities remain on high alert:
- Border Monitoring Teams: Adhering strictly to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines, specialized tracking units and Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) remain deployed along the border to ensure continuous surveillance.
- Cross-Border Information Sharing: Forest officials in Malkangiri are in direct coordination with their counterparts and field staff in neighboring Andhra Pradesh divisions to maintain seamless real-time data exchange and joint field management.
- Community Awareness Campaigns: Village-level awareness programs and public address announcements will continue across fringe habitations to instruct residents on safety protocols.
Advisory for Border Residents
The Forest Department has reiterated its appeal to residents in nearby border villages to maintain caution, follow field advisories, avoid entering dense forest patches during dawn and dusk, and immediately report fresh pugmarks or sightings to local personnel.
