Another big cat strays out of PTR, villagers fear man-animal conflict

LUCKNOW : Even as efforts were on to relocate a tigress that left the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and moved into villages 2 km away, another big cat (a tiger) from the reserve was reported to have strayed into human habitat.

Located near the Indo-Nepal border, this forest reserve has been a hotbed of man-animal conflict in the past. More than 25 people have been killed in such incidents since November 2016.

“An adult tiger has been spotted near the villages close to Mala range of the reserve. Our teams are tracking its movements. People living in the area have been alerted about the animal,” said Naveen Khandelwal, deputy director, PTR. People of around 15 villages had been affected by movement of tiger.

“The tiger was seen in sugarcane and wheat fields located near the forest reserve. It has been moving from one field to another over the last few days. People are scared for their lives,” said Dipendra Singh, a resident of an affected village.

According to forest experts, the movement of tigers out of the core area of the forest reserve is common, especially during winters. A month ago, an adult tigress moved out of the PTR and has been living in the fields outside the reserve since then.

Officials at PTR had initiated efforts to relocate the big cat. Four teams of forest rangers were deployed in the area to track movement of tigress and lay cage traps. In a similar operation, a tigress that left the forest, was rescued and moved to Kanpur zoo earlier this year.