A tiger strayed into a village in the Sunderbans on Wednesday evening, said forest officials.
By Thursday evening, the big cat was suspected to have escaped to a small patch of forest near the village across the Thakuran river.
No casualties have been reported so far, said an official.
Pugmark of the tiger on the bank of Thakuran river near Sridharpur village in Patharpratima in South 24-Parganas
A massive search operation is underway to trap the tiger and release it into a bigger forest.
“The tiger is suspected to have strayed from Dhulibhasani forest. It crossed the Thakuran river and entered Sridharpur, a village in Patharpratima,” said Milan Mandal, the divisional forest officer of South 24-Parganas division.
The villagers saw pugmarks on the riverbank and alerted the forest department. A team was deployed on Wednesday night to track the big cat.
The pugmarks have led foresters to Dhunchi, a small pocket of forest across the river. “We believe the tiger is hiding there. But it is not a big forest. The tiger cannot survive there for long. We are trying to catch the tiger,” said a forest official.
A team of 80 forest guards and 40 members from a quick-response team (QRT) is looking for the tiger. Mandal, the DFO, along with other senior officials, are leading the operation.
Trap cages have been installed inside the Dhunchi forest. A nylon net fencing has also been erected across its 4km border to prevent any further straying into human habitat.
A nylon net fencing being erected across the border of Dhunchi forest to prevent any further straying of tigers
Between December 2021 and February 2022, at least eight tigers had strayed from the forests into villages or their fringes in the mangrove delta. Each tiger was eventually captured and released back into the forest.
