Guwahati (Assam): An adult Royal Bengal Tiger was spotted swimming through the Brahmaputra near the famous Umananda Temple in Guwahati on Tuesday, triggering panic among devotees. The tiger was later found roaming around the temple premises and then took shelter among the rocks of the Peacock island.
People first spotted the big cat in the river near the Raj Bhawan being pushed by the current towards the river island where the Umananda temple is located atop a hillock. The sight of the giant tiger crossing the river was enough to send panic waves among the people. They informed the forest department and a rescue team, including veterinarians, rushed to the spot in boats.
The police and the administration swung into action as soon as they received this information. The priests of the temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva, along with other devotees and tourists were evacuated by NDRF personnel in its boat, parked near the bank of the river near Jahaj Ghat here. The temple priests reside on the island. The Umananda Temple, which draws a large number of devotees, was built by Ahom King Gadadhar Singha in the last decade of the 17th century.
Also read: Over 23 tigers go missing in Rajasthan's forests
Teams soon launched an operation to tranquilize the big cat and take it to a safer habitat. The forest workers found it difficult to tranquilize the tiger as it was at a distance from the river bank. The exercise by the forest department took over ten hours as the tiger was stuck between two large rocks and the rescue team had to carry out the operation very cautiously. After a prolonged effort, the forest officials were able to tranquilize the giant tiger and it was taken to the Assam State Zoo. However, no detail about the tiger was shared by the forest department.
Forest officials said, "The tiger is suspected to have strayed from Orang National Park in Darrang district, about 150 km away, and was probably swept away by the strong current of the Brahmaputra while drinking water from it. The veterinarians will examine the tiger thoroughly and it will probably be released in the wild after ensuring that it is healthy."
