Chhatrapur: Panic gripped villages adjoining Chhatrapur after residents reported spotting pugmarks in a paddy field that they believe may belong to a tiger. Villagers in Laxmipur panchayat under Chhatrapur block said they were returning from a temple when they noticed the pugmarks along a route regularly used by locals. Fear spread quickly as word of the possible presence of a tiger circulated through the area.
Some villagers claimed they saw the animal leap across their path. Locals alerted the Chhatrapur forest range office, prompting forester Babu Sethi and his team to visit the site and examine the footprints. Forest officials said they were still determining whether the pugmarks belong to a tiger or another animal. “We are using measuring scales and other tools to identify the exact species,” Sethi said. Meanwhile, several villagers alleged that goats and chickens had gone missing over the past two days, suspecting that the livestock may have been killed by the tiger. They demanded authorities take swift action to capture the animal. Notably, the sighting has caused greater alarm as there is no major forest area in and around Chhatrapur block, making the possible presence of a tiger unusual.
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