Almost a month after a tiger, spotted for the first time in Gujarat after three decades, was found dead under mysterious circumstances, footprints found near Lunawada gave rise to buzz about the presence of a tigress and her cub.
Forest department officials, however, clarified that the footprints belonged to a leopard and not a tiger.
The photographs of the footprint even got Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani excited with the lawmaker tweeting that the forest department will take necessary steps to locate the tigress and her cub and ensure their protection.
"Exciting news for #nature lovers as footsteps of tigress & cub have been found near Lunawada, #Gujarat hinting at #Tiger presence in Mahisagar #forests. I hope that forest officials will quickly carry out requisite steps to locate & ensure the conservation of this tigress & cub," tweeted Nathwani.
However, SK Srivastava, Chief Conservator of Forest, Vadodara Circle said that the footprints are those of a leopard. "The footprints belong to a leopard. There are no tigers. We have also checked the camera traps and it is confirmed that it is a leopard," Srivastava said.
It should be noted that the first tiger to be spotted in Gujarat after three decades had also been spotted in Lunawada in the forests of Mahisagar. After the tiger's presence was confirmed, there were rumours that a tigress and her cub were also present in the same forests. At that time, the forest department officials had denied the existence of such a tigress.
Vishal Thakor, who has worked on human wildlife conflict mitigation said that people often mistake pug marks of leopards for that of a tiger. "This is because sometimes leopards can also grow to a huge size. Unless the pugmarks are in wet earth, it is also difficult to get its dimensions from a mere picture. Several measurements need to be taken before one can be sure whom the pug marks belong to," said Thakor. He said often, in excitement, people who end up with photographs of pug marks spread it on social media adding their own twist and knowledge.
A forest officer in the know said immediately after the news of 'pug marks of tigress and her cubs' started doing the rounds, they checked the camera traps which showed a leopard moving in the same area. "The pugmarks are of a leopard and not a tiger," said the officer.
TRAPS SHOW LEOPARD
- A forest officer in the know said immediately after the news of ‘pug marks of tigress and her cubs’ started doing the rounds, they checked the camera traps which showed a leopard moving in the same area.
- “The pug marks are of a leopard and not a tiger,” said the officer
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