Odisha: Royal Bengal Tiger Spotted In Keonjhar’s Ghatagaon Forest

Bhubaneswar: A Royal Bengal Tiger has been captured in a camera installed near Kathbahali in Ghatagaon forest range of Odisha’s Keonjhar district.

According to sources, the big cat aged between 3 and 4 years had reportedly been spotted here in the past and often sneaked into Ghatagaon forest from Similipal via Karanjia, Satakosia, in an attempt to mark its area.

The PCCF has directed the forest department to install more CCTV cameras to track its movement. “There is no threat to the local villagers in Ghatagaon area as the forest department is continuously keeping a watch on the tiger. We will alert the villagers and keep them safe,” said PCCF Sushil Kumar Popli.

Wildlife activist Biswajit Mohanty traced the route through which the tiger might have entered Keonjhar to Hadgarh wildlife sanctuary, which is connected to Similipal. “Tiger cubs often move to other places to ensure their safety and availability of enough food,” he said.

Last year, villagers had poisoned an eight-year-old Royal Bengal Tiger in Rebana reserve forest of Anandapur Wildlife Division after it apparently killed multiple buffaloes. The tiger skin, 7-feet in length, was recovered during a raid by a team of Keonjhar forest division on the house of a villager at Budipada village under Rebanapalaspal in Harichandanpur in May 2022.