KURNOOL: A tense situation prevailed after a tiger was spotted near Nagaluti Base Camp in Nallamala Forest on Tuesday under Atmakur forest division.
Four youngsters, Sujith, Yeswanth, Madhusudhan and Mahesh, from Kodumuru, were walking to Srisailam Temple through the forest from Venkatapuram village when they noticed a tiger near the footpath route.
Speaking to TNIE, Nagaluti Forest Section Range Officer S Chandra Sekhar said 20 members of a devotee group including 16 Shiva devotees and a group of four youngsters from Kodumur were headed towards Srisailam on foot from Venkatapuram village through Nallamala Forest. The four stopped midway for a break while the rest of the group kept walking. After they crossed their milestone of walking for seven kilometers, they found the tiger resting on a hill, 40-50 feet away from their pathway.
“They immediately headed to the forest base camp office, which was close to where they were. The youngsters then called the forest officials and intimated them about the situation,” the forest range officer said. The forest staff rushed to the spot and picked them up safely, he added.
Chandra Sekhar informed that a separate vehicle was arranged for the group so that they could reach Srisailam He appealed to the people including devotees to not use the Nallmala forest pathway to reach Srisailam.