Mysuru: The sighting of a tiger at India’s only Rare Material Project (RMP) has kept foresters on their toes in Mysuru. Foresters have alerted villagers in the surrounding area on the outskirts of west Mysuru.Three teams have been formed to monitor its movement and inform villagers. Staff at the RMP, which is attached to the department of atomic energy, saw the big cat on Monday. The tiger was seen majestically sitting amid the lush green and sprawling campus of the RMP, which abuts the Arabithittu Wildlife Sanctuary spread over 5 square miles.The big cat’s presence in the 500-acre project area was recorded on a mobile phone, and the footage has gone viral. About 150 acres of the campus resemble a forest area. Project Tiger Director P Ramesh Kumar informed TOI that some tigers are outside the forest area. Two tigers died, including one in a road accident. Another tiger was found dead after it was relocated. Currently, there are about seven tigers outside the Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves and Wildlife Sanctuary, and this could be one of them.These tigers may be feeding on small animals, including rabbits, and there hasn’t been any attack on cattle or humans. These big cats may be searching for forest pockets and may either travel to the Arabithittu Wildlife Sanctuary, he stated.The director said there are no plans to relocate these big cats unless they come into conflict with humans.Deputy conservator of forests (Mysuru) K Paramesh explained that personnel attached to Leopard Task Forces and officers of the Hunsur wildlife area are keeping a close watch on the movement of the big cat to ensure the safety of the nearby dwellers, who have been informed about the presence of the big cat. The personnel will monitor the situation for a few days.Forest officials who held a meeting with the security officers and CISF personnel on Tuesday advised them to provide a vehicle facility to staffers working in shifts and park vehicles at another location. They have also advised to clear wild vegetation as early as possible and forest officials will be visiting the campus to ascertain the situation for the next few days.
