Bahraich (UP), Jan 17 (PTI) A tiger was tranquillised and captured by forest department personnel near Rehua Mansoor village located in the Katarniaghat forest range, after the animal was sighted in the area for the past four days, officials said on Saturday.
Divisional Forest Officer Sundaresha told PTI that the tiger was first sighted by locals in the village, located in Mehsi tehsil of Bahraich district, causing panic in the area, which has earlier witnessed repeated wolf and leopard attacks during the past two year.
The official said the forest department decided to rescue the tiger, while ensuring safety of both the human population and the animal. Drones were deployed to track its movements, but dense fog hampered surveillance.
On Thursday, two trained female elephants — Diana and Sulochana — were brought from Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, and tranquillising experts Dr Dayashankar from Dudhwa range and Dr Deepak from Katarniaghat range led the rescue operation, Sundaresha said.
Mounted on elephants, the team conducted a three-day combing operation in the dense forest belt adjoining the village, but the tiger repeatedly evaded capture, moving between sugarcane fields and the banks of the Ghaghra river, before returning near the village, the official said.
On Saturday afternoon, the team successfully located the tiger using drone surveillance and sedated it with a tranquilliser gun. The animal was then placed in a cage and transported to the Divisional Forest Office in Bahraich for medical examination.
Sundaresha said no humans or animals were harmed during the operation, and the villagers breathed a sigh of relief following the rescue. PTI COR CDN ARB ARB
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