Patna, Dec. 5: Alarmed over the death of a tigress near Kaziranga National Park in police firing today, the Bihar environment and forests department is worried about the safety of a tiger that had strayed out of Valmiki Tiger Reserve.

The department today reminded the district administration and police of Saran and Vaishali to ensure the safety of the big cat that is at present moving around the riverine areas of the districts located along the two banks of the Gandak.

“Special control rooms have been set up by administration of the two districts. All police stations have been directed to get in touch with the control rooms in case they get any information about the animal,” Bihar chief wildlife warden D.K. Shukla told The Telegraph, adding that policemen have been asked to ensure that no one attacked the animal.

Assistant conservator of forest, Subhash Chandra Verma said the tiger had taken shelter in the field having long grasses near Dhanushi village.

and no signs had been found of its movement outside this field. “Though villagers are a bit worried and want us to capture the animal at the earliest, but at the same time they are also following the steps suggested by us as part of our efforts to minimise the chances of the tiger’s encounter with the locals,” added the official.

His claims appeared logical as one Mukesh Kumar Singh, a resident of Dhanushi village, said: “Though we are worried about the presence of a tiger in our area but at the same time we have also understood the importance of the animal and would not harm it.”

A tiger from Valmiki Tiger Reserve strayed around 10 days back and the incident came to notice when the animal was sighted on the bank of Gandak river in Saran district on Friday. The Saran divisional forest officer, K. Ganesh Kumar was injured by the animal when he tried to dart it with a tranquilliser gun.

Sensing that the presence of the tiger near human habitat might result in a human-wild confrontation, the forest department took several steps to ensure safety of the animal and also steps either to capture it rehabilitate in the wild or it might be given a safe passage so that it could return to its place of origin on its own.