Tiger Scare Grips South Dholai Villages: Anxiety Grows as Forest Department Fails to Identify

Fear spread across Dholai’s Punikhala and Mahadevpur areas on Friday (November 22) night when locals claimed to have spotted a tiger. Around 8 PM, a pedestrian raised an alarm, shouting “Tiger, tiger!” which quickly drew a crowd. Several others present also claimed to have seen the animal, leading to widespread panic in the region.

The forest department’s Hawaithang Forest Range Office was informed, and officials rushed to the scene. Despite searching in the dark and collecting some samples including paw-prints, they could not find definitive evidence of a tiger. Locals, however, remained adamant, with some claiming to have seen the tiger leaping through paddy fields.

Forest officials, while unable to confirm the tiger’s presence, suggested the possibility of a tiger-like creature or another wild animal.

The incident comes on the heels of two recent events in the same forest range. On 1 November, a cow was found dead in Rajnagar village, its neck and tongue partially eaten—likely by a wild predator. Just a day earlier, locals had handed over a tiger cub-like animal to forest officials.

These occurrences have intensified fears, with residents of Punikhala and Mahadevpur now remaining on high alert. Forest officials have urged people to avoid the fields at night and immediately report any sightings to authorities.

Here’s a summary of the events:
On the morning of October 31, a Leopard Cat cub was found in Rajnagar village, South Dholai, separated from its mother. Locals first thought it was a tiger cub and that drew excitement. Later, the cub was relocated to its natural habitat by locals and forest officials, though it wasn’t reunited with its mother. That night, locals reported seeing paw prints, which they believed belonged to a tiger, sparking widespread fear in the area.

The following morning, November 1, a cow owned by Nenu Mia was discovered dead, with bite marks around its neck. Large paw prints were also found near the cow shed, further fueling suspicions of a tiger in the vicinity.

However, wildlife experts told Barak Bulletin that the attack was likely carried out by the mother leopard cat, seeking revenge after losing her cub in the village.

The recent spotting of the alleged tiger has not been confirmed by the Forest Department further raising suspicion of the people and heightening fear.