Bhubaneswar: The state government Friday said it had taken no decision to send back Royal Bengal tigress Sundari to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh from where she was brought following reports that she had mauled a woman to death of Hatibari village in Angul.
Forest and Environment Minister Bijayshree Routray said no decision had been taken in this regard while ruling out the statement of Angul SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra.
The minister, in fact, said the state government cannot take such a decision.
Last Wednesday, the tigress reportedly killed a woman of Hatibari village in Angul that sparked outrage among the locals. They resort to large scale violence in the area torching the forest offices and motorized boats in Tikarpada range of Satkosia tiger reserve.
While interacting with protesters Thursday, the SP had assured that Sundari will be relocated from Satkosia to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh from where she was brought.
Speaking to reporters here, Routray said, “No decision has been taken for relocation of the tigress Sundari from Satkosia. Even, we cannot take any decision on this. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is the authority to take any such decision in this regard.”
As the safety of the tigress is now in question, the state government has informed WII about the prevailing situation at the site and requested the agency to take necessary steps to ensure safety of the tigress, he said.
On allegation of local villagers, the minister said, “While the villagers claim that the local woman has been mauled to death by the tigress, forest officials said no such signs were noticed on the woman’s body. However, the postmortem report will confirm the cause of her death.”
Stating that the torching of the Hatibari forest beat house, boats and the Tikarpada range office by the people of Hatibari village was in gross violation of the rules, he said action would be taken against the accused.
Official sources said an expert team from WII will reach Satkosia soon to study the behaviour of the tigress. After getting their feedback and autopsy report of the woman, further steps will be taken.
PNN