Representative image of a tiger
Credit: iStock Photo
Gondia: Traffic on a state highway passing through a village in Maharashtra's Gondia district came to a standstill for over half an hour after a tiger was seen taking a stroll there, prompting thousands of curious onlookers to throng the spot to catch a glimpse of the majestic feline.
The drama ended after the tiger was finally tranquilised by the forest department personnel from a nearby spot.
The incident occurred around 10 am on the highway between Sakhritola and Anjora in Amgaon taluka.
It took more than two hours for the forest team to tranquilise and rescue the big cat as it had a tough time controlling the large crowd.
An official said the tiger had earlier been spotted near human settlements located on the peripheries of Yermada, Wadad, Togaon, Ovara, Lohara, Teda, Saoli and other villages. Forest teams were keeping a watch over the feline's movements to prevent any untoward incident.
But on Friday, the big cat was spotted taking a stroll right in the middle of the highway. Soon, the news of a tiger found on the highway spread like a wildfire and people from the surrounding areas rushed to the spot to catch a glimpse of the animal.
Assistant Conservator of Forests Sachin Dongarwar said soon after getting the information he and his colleagues reached the site. A Rapid Rescue Team (RRT) from Gondia was also called along with the personnel of Amgaon police in order to control the people who gathered in thousands.
As some people even tried to move close to the big cat, officials had to use mild cane charge to keep them away.
RRT's Amol Choubey fired the dart to tranquilise the tiger and he was finally captured. The striped animal was kept under observation at the forest depot in Saoli village and the decision on whether to release it in its natural habitat or to send it to Nagpur will be taken later, he said.