Tiger pug marks spotted in Bonai forest range of Sundargarh

Sundargarh: Pug marks of tiger were found in the Beldihi forest of Bonai range in Sundargarh district. This has terrorised the locals. According to information, the locals noticed a pug mark and informed the forest department about it.

The forest ranger and his team arrived and suspected it to be the pug marks of a tiger. They also calculated the size and the depth of the pug mark to identify the creature.

It is not known whether it is a Tiger or a leopard. The foresters asked the people to be aware and alert. They also heightened the patrolling in the area.

They used a plaster of Paris pug mark as a reference to match it with the pug mark of a tiger. They have also sent it as a reference to Bhubaneswar.

Similarly, in the Sol range of Sundargarh district, pug marks were also spotted.

On the other hand, the Forest Department in Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve has commenced systematic preparations for the All India Tiger Estimation 2026, with a year-long roadmap laid out for training, field exercises, and scientific data collection aimed at tracking the big cat population.

Speaking to ANI, Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF) Prakash Chand Gogineni said that groundwork has already begun in the Mayurbhanj-based reserve, with a special focus on building staff capacity and standardising ecological monitoring. “As part of the national tiger census scheduled for 2026, we have launched detailed preparations at Similipal. Training of forest staff and field functionaries is our top priority right now to ensure robust and uniform data collection,” Gogineni said.

He explained that the work is divided seasonally, starting with summer exercises focused on ecological parameters. “Post-monsoon, we will undertake more comprehensive tasks, including carnivore sign surveys, herbivore line transects, and counter raids to monitor both prey and predator movement,” he added.

The preparatory phase, which will continue for over a year, aims to align the local processes with the national-level protocols laid out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The All India Tiger Estimation is conducted every four years and is considered one of the largest wildlife surveys globally in terms of scale and scientific methodology.