New Delhi: A Royal Bengal Tiger was spotted at the entry point of Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha’s Bargarh after four years, a senior wildlife official said on Saturday.


According to a report by news agency PTI, forest officials, safari vehicles and tourists saw the tiger entering the sanctuary around 5 pm on December 1, the divisional forest officer of Hirakud wildlife division (Debigarh sanctuary) Anshu Pragyan Das said.


The forest official said that the tourists and workers saw it walk majestically on the forest road for some time in the absence of any disturbance. The onlookers even took pictures of the big cat.


 “After 2018 no tiger was recorded inside Debrigarh. This particular one appears to be a male sub-adult in dispersal stage. It might stay in Debrigarh or may look for its own territory in the nearby landscape," PTI quoted Das as saying.


A round-the-clock patrolling has also been launched in the periphery of the sanctuary and neighbouring villages after the tiger was sighted. Intelligence network has been stepped up and any illegal entry into Debrigarh will be immediately arrested, the DFO said, adding, "It’s a huge task now to protect and monitor the big cat inside our domain. We are on the job."


The officer further said that two tiger monitoring units – one inside the sanctuary and another at Sambalpur division office of Hirakud – have been set up.


Twelve patrolling troops, supported with patrolling app, having been keeping strict vigil inside the sanctuary and metal detectors are being used to scan the vulnerable zones.


“Any civilian seen inside the Debrigarh sanctuary will be arrested as entry into it is a non-bailable offence. Mobiles and locations of all suspected poachers of Bargarh, Sambalpur and nearby districts, poachers in villages around Debrigarh, livestock grazers, shopkeepers in suspect list are under surveillance by the wildlife division. We are working in tandem with the local police and public representatives,” Das said.


Moreover, 100 cameras have been installed in the sanctuary and teams have been deployed to track the animal throughout the day, the DFO added.