JOIN USPug marks of a tiger in the vicinity of the state capital triggered panic in
several villages forcing the people to remain indoors after sunset.
According to the forest department officials here, the tiger “appears to be roaming not very far from the state capital” around Godhan and Saleh Nagar villages in Mall area. The pug marks of the tiger have been traced in Mall area, officials said.
Three teams had been formed to comb the forests along with a Rapid Rescue Unit to locate the tiger, which had entered into the residential areas after straying from the forests in Pilibhit district, about 250 kilometers from here.
Officials said that the tiger had been roaming around Mall area for the past six or seven days. It had devoured cattle at Godhan village a couple of days back.
Wildlife experts said that the tiger could be weighing between 140 to 170kilograms and seemed to be around three year old.
The tiger scare had its impact on three districts including Hardoi and Sitapur adjoining Lucknow.
The villagers said that they remained confined to their homes even on Diwali nights fearing attack of the wild cat.
Before entering the limits of the state capital, the tiger had been spotted by the villagers in Sitapur and later in Hardoi district.
Forest officials said they were trying to locate the tiger and had asked for trained elephants to undertake the combing and search operations. “We will take the services of outside experts if needed,” said an official.