Another tiger declared maneater in UP

Three elephants have been pulled out of the combing operations in Faizabad and deployed in Lakimpur Kheri. The Forest Department had claimed that it had shot the Faizabad tiger last Tuesday,but has failed to find its carcass so far.

“We will explore all options,from tracking to trapping,before shooting the animal,” said Chief Wildlife Warden of B K Patnaik when asked about the Lakhimpur tiger.

Forest researcher A N Singh has been given the authorisation to shoot the tiger. On Friday,he,along with veterinary doctor Utkarsh Shukla,was sent to the site of the tiger’s latest kill.

“The tiger is male and around eight years old. It is not even taking the bait and has shown a tendency of attacking human beings,” said Singh.

Officials say the tiger had strayed out of the nearby Kishanpur Sanctuary into the sugarcane fields on the periphery. It first killed a human — 16-year-old Pillu Singh of Tanda — on January 5.

Contrary to normal behaviour,this tiger does not avoid human beings. Rajesh Gopal,member secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority,said he would be visiting Lakhimpur Kheri on Saturday to study the situation.