Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The forest teams chasing the elusive tiger for more than a month, at last found a pugmark around MP Social Forestry Nursery in Badgonda on Mhow-Mandleshwar Road on Friday morning. However, heavy rain during the night thwarted efforts to track the feline movement or identify its territory.
The pugmark which is 15-cm-long indicates that the tiger was at least five years old. A drone survey conducted in nearby forests during the day failed to locate the tiger or the leopards prowling in the area Despite deploying several teams, the department has failed track and locate the big cat and identify its territory. The tiger has been changing its location on daily basis. Earlier, the tiger that recently killed a man was roaming freely in forests of Melandi and Badiya. Forest range officer Vaibhav Upadhyay said that tiger pugmarks were found around MP Social Forestry Nursery in Badgonda on Mhow-Mandleshwar Road on Friday morning.
Soon after receiving the information, a forest department team inspected the area and found feline’s pugmarks near the forest nursery. The team also tried to follow the pugmarks to track the tiger movement. However, the effort was hindered by heavy rain in the night that washed off the pugmarks.
Sources said that the tiger seemed to be moving towards forests of Malendi, Badiya via Nakheri Dam near MP Social Forestry Nursery. The tiger’s pugmark is 15-cm-long thus implying that it was at least five years old. MP Social Forestry Nursery Officer SK Billaure said that following tiger movement, the nursery had been sealed. Even traffic movement had been stopped. People living in nearby villages were warned against venturing into the forest area without permission. Upadhyay too urged citizens to avoid going into forest area.
Besides, villagers were advised against venturing out alone in fields and forests especially in evening, morning and night hours as it could prove fatal. He hoped said that monsoon would reduce wildlife movement into residential areas.
