Third photo of tiger in north Bengal surfaces in a month

A third photograph of a tiger in north Bengal hills has surfaced within a month of the first sighting, forest officials said on Friday, amid "unverified reports" of the presence of the big cats in other locations of the region at elevations of 6,000 to 8,000 feet.

"On February 15, at 5.30 a.m., we got an image from one of the camera traps recently installed at Neora Valley National Park in Kalimpong. In total, we have three photographs but we are analysing whether they are of the same animal or individuals," Sumita Ghatak, Conservator of Forest and Wildlife in north Bengal, told IANS.

According to Ghatak, so far from the first photo one can decipher the tiger is a female.

A driver of a private vehicle on January 19 photographed the animal inside the park. It was the first photographic evidence of the elusive animal in three decades.

This prompted officials to install camera traps in and around the park.

Then again on January 23 a picture was taken from one of the four camera traps that were set up.

According to Chief Wildlife Warden Pradeep Vyas, unverified reports are coming in about the presence of tigers in Singalila National Park in Darjeeling district as well.

--IANS

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