Royal Bengal Tiger spotted in Brahmaputra in Guwahati

Guwahati (Assam): A Royal Bengal Tiger was spotted in Brahmaputra river near the Raj Bhavan here on Tuesday before it moved away and took shelter among large rocks of Peacock island, a forest official said.

The big cat was seen first by morning walkers and boatmen in the river and being pushed by the current towards the island, where the famous Umananda temple devoted to Lord Shiva, is located atop a hillock.

They informed the forest department whose personnel rushed to the river bank.

The temple priests, devotees and tourists were evacuated from the island, which is located opposite to the office of the deputy commissioner of Kamrup district, by NDRF personnel in its boat kept near the Jahaj Ghat here, he said.

Forest personnel rushed to the river island in boats near the spot where the tiger was seen and efforts are on to tranquilise the animal to evacuate it from the area.

The forest personnel are finding it difficult to tranquilise the tiger as it is at a distance from the river bank and appeared to have got stuck between two huge rocks, the official said.

The animal may have strayed from Orang National Park in Darrang district, about 150 km away, and was probably swept away by the river current while drinking water, the forest official said.

The Brahmaputra flows along the right side of the city and the Peacock island, considered to be the smallest inhabited river island in the world, is in its middle of it. The Umananda Temple, which draws a large number of devotees, was built by the Ahom King Gadadhar Singha in the last decade of the 17th century.

The temple priests reside in the island.