Villagers claim to spot a tiger, foresters say it's a hyena

Kanpur: Panic gripped the villagers of Katri near Ganga in Unnao district when the villagers claimed to spot a tiger. The animal was spotted on Thursday morning by a villager.
A team of forest officials led by Devendra Kumar reached the spot and launched a search for the big cat. Patrolling has been launched in the area to monitor the movement of the tiger.A cage with a bait has also be set up.
It has not yet been ascertained whether the animal is a tiger. But the farmers have stopped going to fields and sending children to schools. "I will not let my children step out unless I am assured by the authorities that there is no tiger in the area," Suman, a mother of four said.
"The movement of tiger has been causing scare among villagers. The wildlife authorities should come up with measures like setting up cages to trap the animal," a local farmer Nimesh Chauhan said.
The area where the animal has been spotted is an open field surrounded by high thickets. It's also home to farmers who own the fields. Mahendra, a resident, said he saw the animal on Thursday at a distance of 30 feet.
"The forest employees don't believed me. They said it might be hyena or some other wild animal. I can easily differentiate between a tiger and a hyena. " Mahendra added. The forest department received a call from the villagers on Thursday about a tiger being sighted in the fields close to Katri village.
There were pug marks but forest officials said they looked more like those of hyenas. "They may be appearing big because the soil was moist and the animal foot sank deep in the ground," said an official.