A Royal Bengal Tiger that crossed into West Bengal from Jharkhand on January 12 is now camping in the state's 'Junglemahal' belt, a top forest department official said on Monday.

The tiger, which had moved to Dalma forest range in Jharkhand on January 19-20, crossed over to 'Junglemahal' belt — consisting of Jhargram, Purulia, and Bankura districts — early Friday morning and is currently stationed there, chief conservator of forests S. Kulandaivel told PTI.

"We have seen fresh pugmarks of the big cat in the area," Kulandaivel said.

Another senior forest official said the big cat was recently spotted at a forested stretch in Bankura during the day after straying from Jhargram. The forest department is closely monitoring its movement through pugmarks and camera images. "It is constantly shifting its place," the official added.

"Currently, the big cat is in the tri-junction of the forested parts of Purulia, Bankura, and Jhargram in the 'Junglemahal' area of south Bengal. Till now, it has not shown any signs of aggression and has been avoiding humans. So, we are focusing more on monitoring its movement and not disturbing it, ensuring it is not harmed physically. Let’s see if it leaves on its own," chief wildlife warden Debal Roy said.

Forest personnel from the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve have not been roped in yet, and their counterparts from Jhargram, Purulia, and Bankura divisions are closely coordinating to ensure the current strategy of the forest department is followed.

People living in a 20-km forested stretch covering the three districts and tourists visiting the picturesque spots dotted with hillocks, forests, and fountains have been alerted by the forest department through a public address system. "They have been asked not to venture deep inside the forests and avoid coming out after dusk in the forested areas," Kulandaivel said.

"The animal had moved to the Jharkhand side from Purulia three to four days after crossing into Bengal but headed back to this state in the early hours of January 24. Probably the presence of elephant herds in the Dalma belt made it change its route and head back to Bengal through the forest corridor running along the boundaries of both states," Kulandaivel added.

The conducive habitat in the entire Junglemahal stretch of the state, with an ample prey base of wild boars, jackals, hares, and goats, has facilitated the tiger's stay in the area.

Last month, another tiger named Zeenat had strayed into West Bengal from Odisha via Jharkhand and was caught on December 29, three weeks after being pursued by forest personnel from three states.

The official said while initially the male tiger was broadly following the same route as Zeenat, it is now acting on its own.

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