A tiger was spotted in a mangrove patch near a village in the Sunderbans on Sunday. Pugmarks were found near the patch — which is like a mini-forest — the day before.
Foresters believe the pugmarks are of the same tiger — an adult male — that was spotted near a thick mangrove cover on the banks of the Mani river. The spot is near Bhubaneswari village in Kultali block.
A team of 200 men spent much of Sunday trying to lead the tiger towards the river. It is suspected to have strayed from Ajmalmari, which is across the river.
“On a couple of occasions, the tiger went near the river. But it was low tide and the water had receded. The tiger stood in the slush for a while and then came back inside the mangrove cover,” said Milan Mandal, divisional forest officer, South 24-Parganas forest division.
“We have narrowed the nylon net cordon. The tiger is inside that cordon. It was set up on Saturday to prevent the big cat from entering the village.”
The team is now installing a pair of trap cages inside the mangrove patch.
“If the tiger does not go towards the river, we will try to trap it,” said Mandal.
A team of 200 people, comprising forest guards, officials and members of the primary response teams (made of villagers trained by the forest department) has been deployed.
Around 80 people are on land, facing the tiger. The remaining are on patrol boats. A team of tranquilisers is also deployed.