Correspondent
RUKSIN, Nov 25: The forest officials of Jonai, Assam claimed to have spotted pugmarks of a Royal Bengal Tiger in Poba Reserved Forest in the Assam-Arunachal boundary.
The forest guards of Jonai Forest Range spotted the pugmarks during routine patrolling in the deep jungles of the reserved forest near Leku Beat Office recently.
Meanwhile, wildlife enthusiasts, including NGO Save Poba Reserved Forest are delighted with the reported spotting of the pugmarks of a Royal Bengal Tiger in Poba Reserved Forest. The NGO has been demanding the authority to declare the Poba Reserved Forest as a wildlife sanctuary.
However, the forest officials are allegedly not showing much enthusiasm on the reported spotting of the pugmarks.
Though big cat species, like leopards, leopard cats and jungle cats are found in the reserved forest, Royal Bengal Tiger is usually not found in it.
Poba RF is located in the outskirt of Ruksin town and adjacent to Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh.
There is also an elephant corridor in the reserved forest, which passes through the Daying Ering Sanctuary up to Dibru Saikhuwa National Park in Upper Assam.
The upper portion of the reserved forest falls under Pasighat Forest Division and other portions under Jonai Forest Range of Dhemaji district, Assam. The National Highway -15 passes through the reserved forest.
Notified in 1914 by the British Government, the Poba Reserved Forest was once suitable habitation for many rare and endangered animal species. But the reserved forest is now under threat due to destruction of forest cover and random hunting, poaching and illegal collection of forest resources by unscrupulous people.
The local NGOs and student unions have demanded the forest authority to take necessary steps and measures to protect the Poba Reserved Forest and deploy well-trained officials, including Tiger Protection Force to save the wildlife of the region.
