Tiger sighting rumour spreads panic in Ulhasnagar

Forest dept officials say a leopard was spotted in the area, not a leopard. Representation pic

While it is a known fact among the wildlife lovers that a leopard has been sighted in Ulhasnagar, some miscreants are spreading rumours about a tiger sighting, which has caused fear and panic among the locals. Recently, someone claimed to have seen a tiger in an ordnance factory, however, later it came to light that it was a leopard. A local YouTube Hindi news channel, ‘Ek Aur Jung News', even posted a two-minute video, titled ‘Tiger spotted inside an ordnance factory in Ambernath'. It has footage of a tiger, which wildlife experts and the forest department said was not from the ordnance factory.

‘Don't spread fake news'

Honorary Wildlife Warden of Thane Avinash Harad said, "We want to request all the newspapers and channels from our area that before posting any news related to wildlife they should crosscheck the facts with the forest department, as wrong information will lead to unnecessary panic among citizens. A leopard was sighted in an ordnance factory in Ulhasnagar, and not a tiger. We want to tell people that there is nothing to panic about."

On Tuesday, a team of Mumbaikars for SGNP visited the factory to hold an awareness session. The team told the parents to take care of their children when they are playing outside, and ensure they have adult supervision. People were also asked to take precautions while walking in areas that are secluded or are dark. Thereafter, the team did a survey of the area and identified locations where they can deploy camera traps to study the behaviour of the animal.

Officials Speak

Assistant conservator of forests Tulsiram Hirve said, "We have given instructions to the Range Forest Officer of Badlapur to take necessary action against people who are trying to spread fake news about tiger sightings in Ulhasnagar."