Traps Set To Catch Bengal Tigress Sundari

Angul: With the Royal Bengal tigress Sundari showing no signs of leaving the human settlements in the periphery areas of Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha’s Angul district, the state Forest department and the expert team of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) from Dehradun have begun the process to capture it.

Sources said the Forest Department has brought two traps to catch the tigress. These would be placed near the villages within Athmallik Forest Range area, where the tigress has been spotted in the recent past.

It has been decided that the tigress would be released into the core area of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve.

A team of Forest staff of Athmallik range had come face-to-face with the tigress on the outskirts of Jadupur village on the afternoon of September 23.

The tigress had been making her presence felt around human settlements in the periphery of Athmallick Forest Range since last 11. After staying put near Rangapur village for two days, she was seen on the outskirts of Jadupur and the nearby villages of Khambeswarpalli, Nuagada and Siddhapur, creating panic among the villagers.

It had killed a cow at Lehedi village recently. Till reports last came in, the tigress was moving inside the forest about 3 km from the Athmallik town. Some locals also informed the media about having seen the tigress once near the Athmallik College.

Panic had gripped the Hatibari village following the death of a woman on September 12. Alleging that the woman was killed by the tigress, the irate villagers had set the Hatibari Forest Beat House and the office of the Tikarpada Range office on fire.

Following the uproar, a team of experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau had arrived at Satkosia and monitored the movement and behaviour of the tigress for three days.

The team later maintained that there was no question of shifting the tigress and she would stay in Satkosia. The team had also asked the Forest Department to seek the cooperation of the villagers and provide them with adequate security.

Brought from the Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, the Bengal tigress was released into the wild of Satkosia Tiger Reserve on August 18.