Bhubaneswar: A male Royal Bengal Tiger, believed to have dispersed from Gomarda Wildlife Sanctuary in Chhattisgarh, is suspected to have crossed Odisha’s Jharsuguda district and strayed into Jharkhand. Forest officials confirmed signs of its passage through multiple divisions in Odisha.
Tracking the Big Cat’s Movement
Jharsuguda Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Manu Bhat stated that pugmark impressions (PIPs) matched those earlier recorded in Bamra and Bonai divisions. “We no longer observe its presence in Jharsuguda, which strongly suggests forward movement,” he said.
On August 8, Chhattisgarh forest authorities alerted Odisha officials about the tiger’s possible dispersal from Raigarh’s Gomarda Sanctuary into Sundargarh district’s Lephripada region. Sudhir Agrawal, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Chhattisgarh, noted that the tiger’s potential route may extend into Simdega district of Jharkhand.
Coordinated Monitoring Across States
Agrawal confirmed that Chhattisgarh officers are in close contact with counterparts in Odisha and Jharkhand to monitor the tiger’s path. The Bamra range in Sambalpur district was the first to confirm its identity as a big cat through pugmark verification.
Before that, Sundargarh forest division also recorded pug marks, indicating that the tiger had traversed its territory. “Between August 6 and 15, it stayed in Sundargarh before covering over 100 km to reach Kholbilung in Bamra range. From there, it moved further towards Jharsuguda,” said a forest officer.
Officials reported pugmarks near a pond in Kholbilung. The muddy soil enabled clear impressions, which were documented to track the animal’s journey.
