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Tiger sighting sparks panic in Bahraich villages; rescue operation underway
Villagers first spotted the big cat in the bushes close to the fields and immediately informed the forest department
Panic gripped residents of Rehua Mansoor village and surrounding hamlets in the Ramgaon area of Bahraich district after a tiger was sighted near agricultural fields on Thursday morning.
Villagers first spotted the big cat in the bushes close to the fields and immediately informed the forest department. Local forest personnel reached the spot and launched a search and rescue operation.
Divisional forest officer (DFO), Bahraich, Sundarehsa, confirmed the tiger’s presence, stating that a drone survey conducted during the day successfully captured photographic evidence of the animal resting in dense bushes.
To safely capture the tiger, the forest department has begun installing capture nets around the area. Two trained elephants have been urgently summoned from Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and are expected to reach the site by evening. Wildlife experts plan to use the elephants to carefully surround the tiger and administer tranquilisers.
A strong team of specialists is currently deployed at the location, including Dr Dayashankar, wildlife veterinary officer, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Dr Deepak, veterinary officer, Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, range forest officer (RFO) Mohd Shakib Ansari and circle officer (Mahsi) Pawan Kumar. Besides, around 200 forest employees and policemen have been engaged in capturing the tiger successfully.
The department has sounded a high alert in several nearby villages — Khushlipurwa, Bhagaipurwa, Pasinpurwa, Kaharanpurwa, Duvepurwa, Akbarpurwa, and Rehua Mansoor itself — and appealed to residents to avoid going to the fields, especially alone, until the situation is brought under control.
“The primary objective is to capture the tiger safely, without causing any harm to the animal or the local community, and subsequently release it into a suitable habitat,” a senior forest official said.
Talking to Hindustan Times, veterinary expert Dr Deepak said all arrangements have been completed to tranquilise the big cat. He said that the plan is that the team would approach to capture the animal in the morning as it was not possible to carry out an operation at night.
