Fresh tiger paw prints were once again found on the riverbanks near the locality of Maipith in South 24 Parganas on Friday morning.

Locals are scared to see fresh tiger footprints. The Royal Bengal Tiger from the Sundarbans seems to be playing a game of hide-and-seek. It repeatedly ventures into Maipith and then retreats back into the dense forest. The fresh paw prints on the riverbank on Friday morning however led forest officials to believe that the tiger has returned to the forest, bringing temporary relief to the residents of Maipith.

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The incident began last Monday when fear spread across Maipith in Kultali due to fresh tiger paw prints found on a road. The forest department was promptly informed, and a search for the tiger began. However, it remained elusive. On Wednesday, tiger paw prints were again found on the riverbank, leading forest officials to speculate that the tiger had returned to the dense forest of the Sundarbans. This was later confirmed by the forest department. However, the tiger returned to Maipith on Thursday, rekindling fears among the locals. On Thursday morning, fresh pug marks were found near Nagenabad along the riverbank.

Upon receiving the news, the forest department ADFO Anurag Chowdhury, along with ranger Subhayu Saha and other officials, rushed to the site and started setting up nets to cordon off the area. On Friday morning, tiger paw prints were again found, leading officials to believe that the tiger has once more returned to the forest. This news brought temporary relief to the locals, though the ongoing hide-and-seek with the tiger continues to worry the residents of Maipith.

Villagers feared a tiger attack, and their fears came true when the tiger reappeared in Kultali’s Maipith. After sightings in Srikanth Palli and Kishori Mohanpur, the tiger moved several kilometres north to Nagenabad in Baikunthapur panchayat. On Thursday morning, fresh paw prints were spotted in the mangroves near the Makri river close to the village. Some locals claimed that the tiger crossed the river from the Azmalmari forest at night and entered the nearby mangroves. Nisha Goswami, divisional forest officer (DFO) of South 24-Parganas, said, “We received complaints on Thursday morning about a tiger entering the village from the forest. However, the tiger itself has not yet been sighted. Forest department personnel have cordoned off the area with nets and are monitoring the situation.” Assistant divisional forest officer (ADFO) Anurag Chowdhury, Raidighi ranger Subhayu Saha, and Chituri Beat Officer Shamim Ahmed are on-site.

An official from the Sundarbans division of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), a wildlife conservation organisation, stated that the forest department is keeping a close watch to ensure the tiger does not enter human settlements again. Notably, on Sunday night, the tiger had entered the Srikanth Palli-Kishore Mohanpur area, south of Nagenabad and under the jurisdiction of Nalgoa Beat. Villagers even heard its roar. The forest department later confirmed that the tiger had returned to the forest by Wednesday.