After six hours of bursting firecrackers and keeping up a steady din, the tigress escaped around 12 noon on Saturday. The gap was sealed immediately, but the tigress returned under the cover of darkness early on Sunday — probably using the rubble heap again to jump across.
This time, officials heard the roar of male tigers. They felt that the tigress must have been chased for mating. “It seemed it was being followed. As the female was trying to escape, it entered the forest office complex," an official reasoned. The tigress was caught in a net and finally tranquillised around 9.30 am on Sunday. According to officers, it would be kept under observation for 24 hours before being released. What has raised a stink is the allegation that the security of the tourist lodge — a favourite with visitors for years — was compromised by the labourers carrying out the renovation and construction work within the complex. They reportedly left a pile of rubble outside the fence, which the tigress used to jump across.
Forest officials were not ready to pinpoint a reason . “The pugmarks have been washed away by the rain. So we don't know from which point the tigress actually entered. It may have been that as the animal jumped on the fence, its weight pulled the wire mesh down, enabling it to enter the complex," said Anjan Guha, assistant field director of STR.
Pradip Vyas, director of Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve, said: “The forest complex is in an area which resembles a village. Tigers often stray while looking for safety. It could be that the tigress entered the complex thinking it was a safe zone."
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Source: Times News Network, Kolkata
