Tiger Sighting Thrills Tourists In Debrigarh; Leopard Attack Triggers Panic In Nuapada Village

Bhubaneswar, November 11: Odisha witnessed contrasting wildlife encounters this week, with a tiger sighting delighting tourists at Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Bargarh district, while a leopard’s reported entry into a village in Nuapada district triggered panic among residents after it allegedly carried away a pet dog.

Around 40 tourists travelling in four safari vehicles spotted the tiger roaming inside the sanctuary’s tourism zone on Monday afternoon. The rare sighting offered visitors an opportunity to witness the big cat in its natural habitat.

The tiger reportedly made another appearance later in the day when it preyed on a sambar deer in the sanctuary’s core area.

Following the sighting, the Forest Department intensified surveillance along the sanctuary’s western boundary adjoining the Hirakud reservoir to protect the tiger and its habitat. Patrols have been stepped up to prevent poaching, illegal trapping and other suspicious activities.

The department has also announced a reward of Rs 1,000 for credible information about threats to wildlife, assuring that the identities of informants will be kept confidential.

Meanwhile, panic gripped Bhaisadarah village under the Amanara section in Nuapada district after a leopard allegedly entered a residential area and carried away a pet dog from the house of local resident Chaman Lal Mirdha.

The incident has raised concerns among villagers over the movement of wild animals near human settlements.

Meanwhile, reports of livestock deaths near the foothills of Similipal and discussions over tiger movement in Koraput have once again highlighted the growing human-wildlife interface in different parts of Odisha.