Tiger leaves trail, gives tormentors the slip

TUESDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2012 00:34 MOUSHUMI BASU | NEW DELHI Pugmarks, rumours, 20 forest men, and a desperate tiger on the move have been the talking point at the Central Tropical Institute of Horticulture, about 15 kms from Lucknow, under Awadh Forest Division, in Uttar Pradesh for nearly two months. This has all the elements of a thriller, which is keeping elephant trackers and forest staff on their toes. The tiger continues to elude them all, and so far efforts to tranquilise the big cat have come a cropper. With the area just about 10-12 kms away from a busy railway track, the tiger is giving the forest department sleepless nights. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is, however, yet to be invited to tackle the big cat. Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW) Mohammad Ehsaan said, “The tiger seems very comfortable in the area, which is ideal for its habitat with dense scrubland, water bodies and blue bulls.” He said that pugmarks are being regularly observed to track its presence in the area. Fortunately, it has not ventured out and there has been no attack on humans so far, he added. He, however, claimed that no shikari or hunter had been brought to fell the tiger. National Tiger Conservation Authority Deputy Director SP Yadav, who had earlier shot a letter to the CWW against the elimination of the tiger, pointed out, “The operation should be conducted in a very low profile manner.” DFO Awadh Ashok Mishra added, “Our aim is either to cage the tiger or tranquilise it. But this is turning to be a tough task, because, there are thorny lantana bushes as high as10-12 feet high, giving the tiger a natural cover. The high bushes, obstructs the view for using the tranquilising gun,” he said, adding no order to shoot the tiger had been issued as the Big Cat had not harmed any human. He said two camouflaged cages had been laid to lure the tiger. The four-year-old tiger has been roaming inside the 400-acre farm of the Central Subtropical Horticulture Institute of the Union Agriculture Ministry at Rahmankheda, since the first week of January. It had entered the campus from the nearby Pilibhit forest, following the course of River Gomti running across the forest. http://www.dailypioneer.com/home/online-channel/360-todays-newspaper/46153-tiger-leaves-trail-gives-tormentors-the-slip.html