The Forest Department is at the wits end as the last pug marks of the stray tiger from Sitapur was found at Hasan Khera on Saturday which is four to six kilometres from Rehmankhera. Chief Conservator lucknow division Eva Sharma who personally visited the area said that the pug marks were one day old and that no fresh pug marks have been traced till the afternoon. She said that they were carrying out the tracking of the male sub adult but were not certain which way the tiger would move. Pug marks were also found at Malha and Fursatnagar on Friday .
The tiger’s movements till now have been random and if it reaches Rehmankhera it would be the second time that the area would be witnessing the presence of a tiger.
The beast which has been on the prowl since October 15 has been sighted only once in the sugarcane fields in the Sitapur district. Some forest staffers who are tracking the animal however believe that in most probability the animal would move towards Rehmankhera for its rich forest cover, availability of the water sources and the availability of food in the form of blue bulls.
“The last pug marks have been traced at Hasankhera which is four to six kilometres from Rehmankhera along the nullah. But these pug marks are one day old. We are continuing with tracking and we cannot say where it will be moving next“said Eva Sharma.
DFO Awadh SP Yadav said that the tiger was taking a circular movement. “If we follow the movement of the tiger we see it is moving in a circular direction” he said. The beast has been making erratic movements which shows that it is inexperienced and though at most times it takes the track close to the rivers or the nullahs, it suddenly reverts. They also say that it is moving on the road or the “pakhdandi” which is why the pugmarks appear infrequently and at great distances.
As per the details provided the forest officials who have been tracking the tiger the animal’s pug marks were first located by the villagers at the Anegi village in the Sitapur district on October 15 and the staff was sent to check on them. The animal is supposed to have entered Sitapur at Siddhauli through Mishrikh.
“They found the pug marks of the animal one to one and half kilometres in the Bani Bajad Deeba village where he had chased a blue bull. On October 16 the forest staff tracked 7-8 kilometres and pug marks were found towards the river. It stayed in the same area on October 17 and then reverted back coming towards the river Gomti at the point where it was 8 kilometres away both from Hardoi and lucknow. On October 18 it was sighted in the wheat fields where it had come to bask in the sun. There were villagers who sighted the animal lifting its head from amongst the crop. On the same night it crossed the river Gomti and entered the Tulsipur village at Hardoi where its pug marks were found in the eastern direction and it was then that we informed the officials at Hardoi” said a senior forest official from Sitpaur.
Forest Oficial from Hardoi said that apart from the pug marks that were foundat the border of Sitapur and Hardoi there have no clue of the animal on October 20,21 and 23 till the time its pug marks were found at Mal and then the latest a few kilometres from Rehmankhera.
Forest Ranger Malihabad KK Upadhaya said that the puga mrks of the animal were found at Fatehnagar near Rehmankhera on Friday night.
It may be noted that in April 2012 a tiger had stayed for over 100 days at the Central institute of Rehmankhera from where it was trapped. Acting Director CISH Shailendra Rajan said that were on the alert and had learnt quite a lot when the animal had strayed into their campus.
A senior forest official from Sitapur said that the tiger had in most probability from lakhimpur Kheri. “The tiger has originally moved from lakhimpur Kheri and if it has been driven out of the forest by a dominant male tiger then it will try to move back but if it has strayed on its own then it will take a path of its own” he said.
“We are on the alert. last time we had become aware of the presence of the tiger first when it made a kill and there were a number of crows hovering above in the area. It was later frequently sighted on the campus” said Rajan. Kallimullah the well known mango orchard owner said that they would be alert if the beast reaches Rehmankhera
Nazia Khan a resident from the Mohamadiyanagar which is close to Rehmankhera and has faced the terror of the animal last time in 2012 said that the villagers were terrified. “The villagers are terrified because most of us sleep outside and that too with the children. There are many houses which do not have a proper door and the villagers are pinning wooden doors to protect themselves from the animal.