India, March 30 -- Fresh tiger pug marks in Kamtha village near Tuljapur have brought major relief to forest officials, dispelling fears of the big cat's death and confirming its continued presence in the region, a senior forest official said on Saturday.

The two-and-a-half-year-old tiger, which travelled an unprecedented 500 kilometres from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal to Solapur-Dharashiv districts, had been missing since March 20.

Kishor Pol, district forest officer, Dharashiv forest department, said, "The area where the tiger was hiding was quite unexpected, and we had not focused much on it earlier. Given the recent developments, we have now extended our search to all nearby areas. We will continue monitoring the tiger'...