The tiger from Jharkhand had entered into a locality in the small hours today and its pugmarks were detected beside the cattle shed of a resident in Sarenga block in Bankura.
The Palamu tiger has struck Bengal forests and its pugmarks were detected at a number of areas in the jungle adjacent villages of South Bankura and Jhargram since yesterday.
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A trap camera already installed in the jungle corridor grabbed its photograph in Belpahari, Jhargram and a section of the forest officials hinted that the big cat has shown movement towards the Lalgarh forests in Jhargram in the early morning hours today.
In Banspahari forests of Belpahari in Jhargram, the forest department cameras captured a photo of the tiger yesterday and its pugmarks were detected first in the Fulkusma jungles in Bankura (South) Forest Division.
Today, fresh pugmarks were detected beside the house of Sarala Hansda. Sarala said: “We panicked seeing the footprints near my cattle-shed. It possibly attempted to prey on my cattle.” Lakshmi Murmu of the village said: “We take out livestock to the jungle for grazing. Now it’s horrible that the tiger has started knocking on our courtyards.”
Pugmarks were also found on the dusty roads of adjacent Hodd village besides the Kansavati river. A resident Mansaram Tudu was heading for the jungle to collect Sal leaves in the early morning when he was shocked seeing the pugmarks on the surface. The localities close to the jungle like Belchaboni, Benachapra, Malgumi are also in panic over the arrival of the tiger.
Bankura (South) DFO Pradip Bauri said: “Locals found some pugmarks in the early morning and informed our officials. We’re examining them to check if it’s the same tiger or a new one.” Pugmarks of the Palamu tiger were measured in Jhargram last week.
The male tiger having no radio collar had strayed into Jhargram forests on 13 January and moved to the Raika hills in Purulia the next day where it stayed almost for a week and then moved back to Jharkhand on 20 January. “It’s stayed in Ghatshila forests here since then but no fresh pugmarks of the animal were found and no new prey was recorded in two days here,” said Saba Alam Ansari, DFO, Jamshedpur.
Another tiger that had returned to its Palamu habitat, has also appeared in Garhwa jungle’s adjacent patches. Ebin Benny Abraham, DFO, Garhwa (South) said: “We’ve received fresh pugmarks in certain areas and received information about fresh preying here.”
