Tiger in Tamenglong?
Wildlife experts find droppings:
Tamenglong, Dec 18: State wildlife experts investigating into the presence of a Bengal Tiger in Bhalok (Phalong) village on Tuesday discovered the droppings of the tiger and bones of a buffalo left after being eaten possibly by the tiger.
With the detection of these materials, experts opined that a full grown tiger is present in and around the forest of Bhalok and five volunteers who were engaged by the forest department for close vigil on the movement of the tiger since December 2 and the villagers were asked to hunt for the foot prints of the tiger to ascertain its movement by the experts.
An expert team of the state forest department comprising of L Biramangol Singh, Forest Range Officer (FRO), A Kuber Singh, FRO, Khomeimacha Kamson, FRO, Ninthemba, deputy forest ranger of wildlife wing on Tuesday detected the bones and muck at a spot located in the forest between Bhalok-Irang road at Bhalok-2 village where domestic cattle graze.
After analysis, the experts stated that they are 90 percent sure that the big cat is a full grown Bengal tiger. But they could not immediately confirm whether it was a tiger or tigress that was taking shelter in the forest.
While interacting with the IFP, the experts reiterated that the authorities have no plans to catch the tiger and rather want to give full protection to rare wild cat. While asking the villagers not to cause any harm to the tiger, the expert team assured all measures to prevent any possible harm to humans by the tiger.
The bones and muck collected by the expert team were brought to Tamenglong headquarters for further analysis.
According to the experts, the concerned forest authority has engaged five volunteers of the village to keep a close vigil on the movement of the big cat and also to protect the cattle from attacks.
Mention may be made that villagers of Bhalok and its surroundings have claimed that as many as 17 calves including buffalo calves were missing since the tiger started roaming in the vicinity of their village since the first week of December this year.
Source: The Imphal Free Press
Tamenglong, Dec 18: State wildlife experts investigating into the presence of a Bengal Tiger in Bhalok (Phalong) village on Tuesday discovered the droppings of the tiger and bones of a buffalo left after being eaten possibly by the tiger.
With the detection of these materials, experts opined that a full grown tiger is present in and around the forest of Bhalok and five volunteers who were engaged by the forest department for close vigil on the movement of the tiger since December 2 and the villagers were asked to hunt for the foot prints of the tiger to ascertain its movement by the experts.
An expert team of the state forest department comprising of L Biramangol Singh, Forest Range Officer (FRO), A Kuber Singh, FRO, Khomeimacha Kamson, FRO, Ninthemba, deputy forest ranger of wildlife wing on Tuesday detected the bones and muck at a spot located in the forest between Bhalok-Irang road at Bhalok-2 village where domestic cattle graze.
After analysis, the experts stated that they are 90 percent sure that the big cat is a full grown Bengal tiger. But they could not immediately confirm whether it was a tiger or tigress that was taking shelter in the forest.
While interacting with the IFP, the experts reiterated that the authorities have no plans to catch the tiger and rather want to give full protection to rare wild cat. While asking the villagers not to cause any harm to the tiger, the expert team assured all measures to prevent any possible harm to humans by the tiger.
The bones and muck collected by the expert team were brought to Tamenglong headquarters for further analysis.
According to the experts, the concerned forest authority has engaged five volunteers of the village to keep a close vigil on the movement of the big cat and also to protect the cattle from attacks.
Mention may be made that villagers of Bhalok and its surroundings have claimed that as many as 17 calves including buffalo calves were missing since the tiger started roaming in the vicinity of their village since the first week of December this year.
Source: The Imphal Free Press