DHEMAJI, April 28 - Foresters of Jonai Forest Range claimed to have spotted pug marks of an adult royal Bengal tiger in Poba Reserve Forest (RF) situated along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
Forest officials of Jonai Territorial Range said they spotted the pug marks during routine patrolling in the deep jungles of the reserve forest at Sirung portion under its Leku Beat Office recently.
Wildlife enthusiasts of the area are delighted with the reported spotting of the pug marks of a royal Bengal tiger in Poba Reserve Forest. The local people, including students� unions, NGOs and senior citizens have now demanded the State Government to declare the reserve forest as a wildlife sanctuary to save flora and fauna.
It is learnt that the forest officials have sent a report along with photos of the tiger pug marks to the Divisional Forest Office at Dhemaji.
Earlier in mid-November of 2017, a forester of Jonai Territorial Range noticed pug marks of a royal Bengal tiger in the reserve forest. After a week, the foresters of Jonai rescued an orphan leopard cub from a dwelling house near Telam BG Railway Station along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. It was said that the leopard cub entered the area from the Arunachal forests in quest of food.
Forest officials say that though big cat species like leopards and jungle cats do roam about in the reserve forest, royal Bengal tigers are usually not found here. They come to the reserve from time to time only.
Poba Reserve Forest is adjacent to the Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh located on the outskirts of Pasighat town and there is also an elephant corridor in the region.
The upper portion of the reserve forest falls under Pasighat Forest Division of Arunachal Pradesh.
Notified in 1914 by the then British Government, the Poba Reserve Forest was once a suitable habitat for many rare and endangered animal species. But they are now under constant threat due to depletion of green cover and random hunting, poaching and illegal collection of forest wealth by unscrupulous traders.
The local people have been demanding that the State Forest Department should take adequate measures to protect the only remaining reserve forest under Dhemaji division by deploying well-trained officials, including Tiger Protection Force to save the wildlife of the region.
