Keonjhar: After a gap of one month, a Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT) has reportedly struck terror in Ghatagaon forest range of Odisha’s Keonjhar district while leopards are creating havoc in Nuapada.
The big cat has allegedly killed four buffaloes in Atei reserve forest under Ghatagon range in the wee hours of Sunday. The forest department has started an investigation and found pug marks in the area.
According to sources, some buffaloes of a nearby village were grazing in forest. Four of them were mauled to death by the RBT in Badajamupasi. The forest department has recovered the carcasses.
On being informed, DFO H D Dhanraj and Ghatagon ranger Prabhat Kuanr along with other forest officials visited the spot and took stock of the situation on Sunday.
Ranger Prabhat Kunar said,”We are not sure if the buffaloes were killed by an RBT. We have found the pug marks as evidence while footages of trap cameras fixed in the forest are being checked.”
He, however, said there is no confirmation that the buffaloes were killed by the RBT. “The DFO visited the spot and took stock of circumstantial evidence. The members of a tiger monitoring squad have been advised to keep track of the big cats. Entry points to Atei forest are under close watch. People had earlier claimed to have spotted big cats in this corridor,” the ranger added.
