(IN): Tiger pugmarks seen at 10,000 feet

[Guest guest]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4348208,prtpage-1.cms

Tiger pugmarks seen at 10,000 feet

2 Apr 2009, 0938 hrs IST, IANS

 

GANGTOK: Pugmarks of a Royal Bengal Tiger have been found in the snow at an

altitude of 10,000 feet in the Himalayas near Jelepla in eastern Sikkim after a

gap of nearly 18 years, officials said.

 

Officials called it a rare discovery, since tigers are usually found in the

plains and almost never above 6,000 feet.

 

The latest pugmarks were photographed March 27 in the Ganek-Lungto area in

eastern Sikkim, Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) Karma Legshey said.

 

Tiger pugmarks were last officially recorded at this altitude in Sikkim some

18 years ago, by then divisional forest officer Tshesum Lachungpa.

 

Legshey said forest officials were on a routine patrol when they found the

pugmarks on the snow in the northeastern part of the Pangolakha Wildlife

Sanctuary in Sikkim.

 

The team then recorded the altitude of the pugmark site using the Global

Positioning System. They also measured the pugmarks and photographed it, he

added.

 

" The pugmarks measure 19 cm long and 17 cm wide with a stride of around 110

cm, " Legshey said, adding that a subsequent study confirmed the pugmarks as

being those of a Royal Bengal Tiger.

 

He added that the trail of around 70 metres (of the animal's track)

resembled that of a tiger on a " normal walk " . The team then followed the track

from Ganek to Devithan from where the terrain became too steep to follow.

 

" After making necessary arrangements at the site, we came down to Zuluk from

where it was possible to catch the mobile telecom network and informed our

superiors of our find. Immediately, a team from WWF-India, Sikkim Programme

Office, led by Partho Ghosh, a tiger expert, left for the site and conducted

necessary studies on the spot, " Legshey said.

 

" After interviews with local residents and senior officials, it was presumed

that the animal is a female, " he added.

 

The residents in the area heard tiger roars in the past and also came across

carcasses of yaks and goats killed by the animal, Legshey said.

 

He said the tiger might have crossed into Sikkim from Bhutan through the

Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a forest extending into the neighbouring

country.

 

Currently, a team of forest officials is camping at Zuluk to monitor and

alert the villagers, police and defence personnel about the probable

presence of a tiger in their midst.

 

Meanwhile, forest officials have urged the local residents not to harm the

animal even if it attacks livestock, and assured appropriate compensation in

case of an attack.

 

Tigers have been reported to prowl in the forests of Lachen and Lachung in

northern Sikkim at an altitude above 8,000 feet, but sightings have been

rare.

 

--

http://www.stopelephantpolo.com

http://www.freewebs.com/azamsiddiqui