Barang: A day after rumours did the rounds about a tiger roaming near Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) here, some of the Balipada villagers here Tuesday spotted the pugmarks of a wild animal on Prachi riverbank.
The villagers claimed that pugmarks were of a tiger. However, Forest department officials rejected the claims and said that the pugmarks were of a wolf or hyena.
According to sources, some youths of Balipada spotted the pugmarks when they went to the river for bathing in the morning.
The incident caused panic among the residents of Balipada. Soon, many villagers gathered at the spot.
“The pugmarks spotted on the Prachi riverbank could be of a hyena or wolf. They were not of a tiger,” said Assistant Conservator of Forests Prashant Kumar Panda.
Earlier, an NZP employee claimed to have spotted a tiger in the forests close to the gate no. 9 of the zoo Monday. Soon, senior officials of the zoo visited the spot and tried to trace the pugmarks.
The zoo authorities later revealed that the zoo officials could not trace any pugmark near gate no. 9.