Bettiah/ Patna: A tiger strayed into Dhumatar village near the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in West Champaran district on Thursday, triggering panic among residents. The big cat was first spotted around 2.30 pm in a field near the house of Mohan Patel.
As villagers raised an alarm, the tiger ran into the house of Lutan Sah. Fortunately, no one was inside at the time, averting a possible tragedy. A crowd quickly gathered, and the commotion prompted the tiger to flee into a nearby maize field.
Sunil Pathak, a forest department official, confirmed that the tiger had wandered out of the reserve. “People saw it clearly. Thankfully, no harm was caused. The tiger appears to have re-entered the forest through the maize field,” he said, adding that a team is monitoring the situation.
A video of the tiger running through the village has been circulating on social media, though its authenticity has not been verified.
Villagers, including Umesh Patel, Pramod Varman, and Naseem Alam, played a crucial role in preventing people from approaching the area before alerting forest officials. Tracking efforts later revealed pugmarks leading toward the forest, suggesting that the tiger had returned to its natural habitat.
