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Camera traps tigress again, but this time on 'tiger' hill

TNN | Jun 6, 2013, 01.27 AM ISTcamera trap set by the forest department has once again 'caught' a tigress.

This time the area-Vagheri hill-is slightly different from the locale in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary the big cat was trapped on camera for the first time in late April.

"Ecologist Ullas Karanth has confirmed that it is the same tigress," principal chief conservator of forests Richard D'Souza told TOI on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the tigress was sighted on the hill that is etymologically named after the big cat, not far away from Anjunem dam.

Villagers had earlier reported to the forest department that they had seen the tigress near the catchment area of the dam.

In another development, villagers in Satrem, a village deep within Sattari taluka, have also reported seeing a tigress with two cubs.

Forest department officials are trying to confirm whether this is another big cat with cubs.

D'Souza said, "It is not so easy to set camera traps during the monsoon." Satrem is less than 10km from Vagheri hill.