Tiger alert in Lucknow follows pugmarks in Hardoi

LUCKNOW: State forest department sound an alert in view of a tiger’s presence in the vicinity of Lucknow. Pugmarks have confirmed its presence in Sitapur and Hardoi, though the feline was not spotted since October 19.
On Tuesday, forest department sounded an alert in Lucknow after pugmarks were seen around 80km away in Sandila, Hardoi.
On Wednesday, Hardoi district forest officer R K Tripathi said “no new pugmarks were seen after October 19.We cannot say anything about its presence till we see new pugmarks or if the big cat makes a kill.”
Villagers have been told to inform the department in case they come across any indication of tiger presence in the region.
On October 15 villagers in Sitapur had informed forest department officers about tiger in the area. “Around 3pm a tiger was seen in Anegi village,” said DFO Sitapur A P Tripathi.
By the time forest department reached the spot the tiger had moved about 10km away from Anegi to another village, Banbajrehta. In one of the agricultural fields in Banbajrehta that pugmarks of the big cat were seen. Trackers took plaster of Paris impression of the pugmarks. Experts in the department confirmed that pugmarks were of a tiger, in all likelihood, a sub-adult.
The tiger moved in and out of 35 bigha thick sugarcane fields in Sitapur before it moved to Hardoi on October 19. In Sitapur it moved along the banks of a local river, a tributary of Gomti. “It moved in a circle. It first moved away from Banbajrehta, then took a U-turn towards Banbajrehta but stopped 2km ahead at another village Bhikampur, where this tributary drains into Gomti, on October 18,” said DFO Sitapur. Nowhere did it leave the banks of the river.
“Pugmarks we tracked showed that it did not go more than 8kms away from the river,” said the official. Few carcasses of blue bulls (neelgai) found in Banbajrehta on October 17 could be tiger's kill.
On October 19, pugmarks were found in Tulsipur village of Hardoi. Forest department did not find any pugmarks beyond Keshavpur, another village about 3km from Tulsipur. “Till we get new pugmarks or any kills, we can not say where it is,” said DFO, Hardoi, R K Tripathi.
On the prowl
Tiger has moved along Gomti and its tributary in Sitapur and Hardoi
No tiger kills found except blue bull carcasses found in Banbajrehta in Sitapur
Locals have seen it only once on October 17 sitting in a field
Sugarcane fields serve perfect shelter to the tiger
It has moved 8 to 10km every night