Jorhat, May 20: For a change, the army in Assam is not pointing its guns at militants. Instead, the guns are trained at a Royal Bengal tiger of the Kaziranga National Park, which has killed several heads of cattle and even tasted human blood. Park director N.K. Vasu said villagers have been complaining of attacks on their cattle. A few days ago, forest officials tranquillised and caught two cubs, which had strayed into the villages in Dipholoopathar. They were later set free at the park.
However, when complaints of more attacks poured in, an operation was launched to track down the animal.
The army, which has a camp near the park, and the police are helping the park officials catch the tiger.
The director said it is probably one of the biggest operations launched in the history of the national park to catch a tiger. “More than 13 elephants, over 50 forest department personnel, the army and the police all are hunting for the tiger for the past few days,” the director said.
The team managed to track down the tiger yesterday but had to turn back after it leaped up and attacked a mahout. The man has been shifted to Guwahati for treatment and his condition is said to be critical.
“We believe the tiger is the mother of the two cubs we caught recently,” Vasu said. It is even more difficult to shoot the tiger because of the huge crowd, which is following the team everywhere, he added. “If it can attack a mahout, can you imagine how high it can jump?” Vasu asked.
The census figures say the park has 86 Royal Bengal tigers.
“Animals straying into human habitation in search of food is nothing new. Most often, the animals are attacked by the villagers when they stray,” Vasu said.
Recently, the 430 square km park was extended to 860 square km, with new areas included.