Tiger scare persists in villages near Jhabua forest

Residents of 10 villages located near Jhabua Reserve Forest Area here are worried as a two-and-half-year-old tiger that strayed into the area from the Sariska Tiger Reserve, Alwar, over two months ago is yet to be rescued.

Villagers claim pugmarks have been found in the fields. Scared by the tiger’s presence, villagers today approached the Deputy Commissioner and urged him to ensure rescue of the tiger at the earliest.

“The tiger is still present in the Jhabua Forest Area located adjacent to my village. Tiger’s pugmarks have been found in the fields. Some villagers have also spotted him. Since it’s time to cultivate wheat and mustard, farmers have to go to fields in the wee hours. They are apprehensive of their safety,” says Meer Singh of Khijuri village.

He adds many farmers have also started avoiding going to the fields after sunset. “We cannot live in such a tense situation any longer. Therefore, residents of 10 villages today submitted a memorandum to the DC urging him to catch the tiger at the earliest,” says Singh. Bharat, another resident of Bidawas village, says: “The DC has assured us of solving the issue within the next three days. We will not hesitate to call the panchayat over the issue if the tiger is not captured soon.” DC Abhishek Meena says the Divisional Forest Officer has been asked to rescue the tiger and send it back to the Sariska Tiger Reserve. Deepak Patil, Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF), Rewari, says efforts are underway to rescue the tiger.