Pugmarks of tigress, cub found in city outskirts

BHUBANESWAR: Forest Department on Sunday confirmed the movement of a tigress and its cub after tracing pugmarks near Manei Sahi of Jhumuka area under Chandaka forest range in the outskirts of the city. The forest officials advised the local people of the area to be alert after seeing pugmarks of the wild animals there.

On Sunday morning, the forest officials collected the pugmarks at Jhumuka and Kantabada area. “We are examining the pugmarks after taking its footprints with the help of plaster of Paris. We suspect that a tigress and her cub are roaming freely in the sanctuary area,” said Chandaka forest range officer Abhay Acharya.

Pugmarks of the wild animals were also found at Chandaka, Dampada, Haladia and Nandankanan area. On January 16, Nandankanan Zoo authorities had started drive to track the wild tigress and her cub whose pugmarks were found inside the zoo on January 13.

Notably, the forest department officials on December 28 last year had confirmed that the tigress and its child were freely roaming around the Chandaka-Dampada sanctuary on the outskirts of the city.

On December 24, according to the report, the tigress and its child had come to drink water from Khiragadia pond, near Talabasta village. After the scientific inquiry into the foot mark of the tigress and her child, the forest officials had proved that the rumour was true.