Moipith tiger lands in trap cage after 24-hour op, set free in wild
Times of India | 12 February 2025
123456 Kolkata: The tiger, an adult male aged around 10 years, that had attacked and injured a forest worker at Nagenabad village under Moipith panchayat in Sundarbans' South 24 Parganas division was finally captured, after an effort of over 24 hours, in the wee hours of Tuesday in one of the trap cages placed in a field where it was hiding.
Divisional forest officer Nisha Goswami said it was caged around 3.30 am. "It was released back in the tiger reserve area later in the afternoon after being checked by vets. It was in good health and there were no injuries," she added.
The big cat had entered Nagenabad village on Sunday evening and attacked forest worker Ganesh Shyamal (30) on Monday morning when a team was installing nylon nets to isolate the village from the adjacent forest where the big cat was hiding.
SSKM trauma care unit head and critical care specialist Rajat Choudhury said: "His injuries on right eyelid are severe. Eye surgeons have repaired them but further reconstruction is needed and hence, a team of plastic surgeons has been roped in. Fractures were also found in his facial bones, which will also be repaired. Injuries on his left forearm and lower limbs were minor and they have been dressed up and sutured."
While foresters indicated the surge in tiger numbers is presumably compelling the sub-adults and aged big cats to venture into human settlements, several experts suggest the nylon net fencing along 80 km stretch in this zone might require maintenance-replacement in some areas.
While the all-India tiger estimation report 2022 had pegged the tiger number in the Indian Sundarbans at 101, including 20 in the South 24 Parganas forest division, sources indicated that the number in divisional forest may have risen to 25+, based on data collected from Dec 2023 to Feb 2024. The total figure, too, may have crossed 104. "However, a consolidated data will only be released by the Centre during the next cycle of their exercise in 2026," said a senior official.
Ex-chief wildlife warden Pradeep Vyas said immediate verification is needed to find out if replacement of nylon nets is required anywhere. According to him, replacement of the nets, lasting three-four years, costs approximately Rs 3 lakh per kilometre. "We have a renewal policy for the nets in every two and a half years. This work is in the pipeline," said Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve director Nilanjan Mullick.