Kolkata, Feb. 10 -- A villager who works with the quick response team of the forest department was injured in a sudden attack by a Royal Bengal Tiger at Maipith in South 24-Parganas district on Monday.
According to a Forest department official, the injured person, Ganesh Shyamal, was part of a team tracking the movement of the big cat that strayed from Ajmalmari forest in Sunderbans Tiger Reserve area, into a village. The tiger suddenly emerged out of the forest and pounced on the employee.His colleagues were prompt enough to retaliate with sticks and started hitting the animal leading it to retreat to its hideout. They wasted no time and rushed him to a nearby hospital. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), South 24-Parganas Nisha Goswami said that the injured forest personnel had several bites on his body but was stable and conscious.
"He was first taken to a local hospital where he was provided with immediate medical assistance. Later when we found that he was recovering, we decided to shift him to SSKM Hospital for the best of treatment. Now he is stable and is also able to talk," said Nilanjan Mallick, Field Director of Sunderban Biosphere Reserve.
A forest team has been posted in the area armed with tranquiliser guns and a cage and bait to trap the animal. The area has been fenced off by nylon nets. According to sources, the animal swam across the river separating the reserve forest from Maipith and entered the human habitat.
Earlier there have been some similar incidents of tiger straying in the same area with the forest officials successful in driving the big cat back to Sunderbans without any harm to villagers and forest personnel.
The forest officials are in the dark whether it is the same tiger that has been straying in human habitat.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.