03 January,2009 02:39 PM IST | | IANS
A tiger that wandered into a Bihar village from a nearby reserve has created panic after residents spotted it hiding in the fields. Forest officials are camping in the area to catch the animal that has reportedly killed two people in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
Villagers in Bihar's Kaimur district are frightened and worried after the tiger hid among a standing crop of pulses Friday afternoon, hours after it was sighted.
According to reports reaching here Saturday, before the tiger entered Bihar, it had created havoc in Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh where it reportedly killed at least two people.
Kaimur district forest officer R.K. Ram said a team of forest officials and police are camping in the area to catch the animal. "The team is armed with tranquiliser guns, nets and cages," Ram said.
Ram admitted it was not an easy task to catch the tiger due to the heavy fog in the area.
He said the tiger could have come from Kaimur Wildlife sanctuary.
In Bihar, the Valmiki National Park in West Champaran district has been losing its tiger population at an alarming rate. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has estimated that there were 56 tigers in the park in 2002 but only 33 in 2005.
