Thaindian News

Lucknow, Feb 26 (IANS) Another stray tiger on the prowl is keeping Uttar Pradesh wildlife officials on tenterhooks, days after they revelled in the glory of eliminating a man-eater after a chase of nearly four months.
While the Faizabad man-eater was gunned down Tuesday with the help of an expert shooter from Hyderabad, the second tiger has been located on the periphery of the thick forests of Lakhimpur-Kheri, about 200 km from the state capital.

“Unlike the Faizabad tiger, who traversed a good 400 km from its home in the Pilibhit forests, this one has strayed out of the neighbouring Kheri forests and has found cover in the flourishing sugarcane fields in the region,” UP’s principal chief wildlife conservator B.K. Patnaik told IANS.

While the Faizabad tiger was declared a man-eater after its first human kill, the officials declared this tiger as a man-eater after it devoured five people.

“But even as we have detailed two of our department’s ace shooters to gun down the animal, the task is going to be tough as the beast has easy access to the woods that lie in close proximity to the sugarcane fields,” he said.

“After all, it is not that simple to shoot down a tiger in a thick forest,” Patnaik said, though it was another matter that his crack team could not tranquilise or kill the Faizabad tiger for months even as it was prowling around in tiny patches of bush far from the thick woods.

“In order to keep track of the tiger, we have now formed local level committees of villagers in each of the hamlets where the animal has been on the prowl; these will keep a round-the-clock vigil in their respective areas and inform our official team as soon as they sight the tiger,” Patnaik added.

“I am sure we will get this one too very soon,” he asserted.