The Purulia district administration has imposed prohibitory orders in the Bandwan area where a three-year-old female tiger, who had strayed out of Odisha’s Similipal National Park earlier this month, is presently located.

This comes as forest departments of West Bengal and Odisha brought in controversial Hula Party (villagers with burning spears used to drive elephants) and more field workers and officers to Purulia as they plan to drive Zeenat, the tigress, into an ambush so that she could be tranquillized and captured.

“Now, our plan is to create an atmosphere where the tigress is driven to a corner for ambush. Then we can try and tranquilize it,” said Debal Roy, Chief Wildlife Warden, West Bengal.

“The abundance of domesticated lambs is posing a major problem for us in capturing the tigress. Two more carcasses of lambs from neighboring villages have been found in the area where she is. That is why she is not showing interest in animals we have set up as baits,” added Roy.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Police and forest department officials continued to alert villagers and tourists in the Bandwan area prohibiting them to move out alone or venture into forest areas.