Tiger captured in Bengal's South 24 Parganas, to be released in forest soon

Kolkata: The Royal Bengal Tiger which had strayed from Sunderban Reserve into the Maipith area of South 24 Parganas district and attacked a forest employee, was captured on Tuesday morning, a senior forest official said.

The full-grown adult male tiger could be caged by placing bait on the door of a camouflaged cage at around 3:30 am on Tuesday in the area where it was hiding, Divisional Forest Officer, Nisha Goswami told PTI.

The tiger had crossed over from Ajmalmari forest in the Sunderban Tiger reserve area to the human habitation in Nagenbad village - which has large tracts of green cover including mangrove plants - two days back. It pounced on a forest department employee seriously injuring him on Monday morning when attempts were being made to catch it.

The employee, part of a forest team tracking the movement of the tiger, had suffered multiple gashes on his body and is now under treatment at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, Goswami said.

The tiger had suddenly emerged from the forest and pounced on the forest worker in an adjacent open farmland. His colleagues managed to drive the animal away by hitting it with sticks, the official said.

The injured worker, Ganesh Shyamal was first taken to Jamtala hospital, shifted to Baruipur Hospital and finally referred to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata on Monday.

"His condition is better," the DFO said.

Asked if the big cat was tranquilised, she said, "No that was our last option. We kept waiting by fencing off one part and setting up cage with bait and it was trapped." She said the big cat will be checked by veterinary doctors before being released deep inside the Sunderban tiger reserve area.

"It has been found to be in good health in preliminary check," the DFO added.