Villagers’ bone-chilling moment with tiger in Lakhimpur

The wild cat strolled out from a nearby sugarcane field, walking slightly beside the narrow dirt track, which was just wide enough for two bikes to pass side by side.

Just 50 feet ahead of their bikes, a tiger emerged from the shadows, leaving villagers in Lakhimpur’s Mohamadi forest range frozen in a bone-chilling standoff late one evening, two days ago.

Screen grab from the viral video (Sourced)

The wild cat strolled out from a nearby sugarcane field, walking slightly beside the narrow dirt track, which was just wide enough for two bikes to pass side by side. The tiger glanced at the humans from a distance, seemingly uninterested in hunting, and then sat down on the road, blocking the entire path. A video of the encounter, filmed by villagers in Shakarpur, went viral on Wednesday.

The tiger, appearing to be at least five feet in length, moved toward the dirt track, brought its right front limb forward, and placed it firmly on the path—indicating the road was effectively blocked for commuters.

As news of the sighting spread, forest staff rushed to the spot and confirmed the tiger’s presence by identifying pugmarks. Forester Shiv Kumar Kashyap instructed villagers on safety precautions, advising them not to travel alone in the area. “Villagers should also work in their fields in groups, with at least one person keeping watch,” the forest officer told them.

The incident took place when the villagers were returning home from their fields or other work. The tiger was first spotted emerging from the field of a local farmer, Pankaj. It then moved 10-15 feet parallel to the dirt track before sitting squarely in the middle of the path.

“As the tiger seemed relaxed, villagers began recording videos. Frightened, they kept their bike engines running, ready to flee if the wild cat changed its mind and attacked. This was risky, as a tiger can run faster than any vehicle on a dirt track,” said one villager.