Suspected tiger sighting near HPF factory in Udhagamandalam

The Forest Department is tracking the movement of a suspected tiger that was reportedly sighted by the headmistress of a school near the Hindustan Photo Films (HPF) factory on Monday evening.

The Forest Department is tracking the movement of a suspected tiger that was reportedly sighted by the headmistress of a school near the Hindustan Photo Films (HPF) factory on Monday evening.

According to officials from the Nilgiris forest division, the headmistress of the school was leaving home after work on Monday when she spotted a large carnivore which she identified as tiger. She then notified the Forest Department whose staff arrived at the spot on Tuesday morning to investigate the claims.

Officials said though tigers had been spotted in HPF in the recent past, that it was also home to leopards, sloth bear and Asiatic wild dogs as well as Sambar deer and gaur. They said the animal that was spotted could be either a tiger or a leopard, based on the description provided by the witness.

Forest staff checked pug marks in the area to ascertain if the animal was still in the vicinity. They also said they would continue surveillance around the school to ensure that there were no negative interactions between the animal and people. There were also plans to set up camera traps to see if the animal continued to use the same area and to check if it had moved elsewhere.

The sighting provides further evidence that the HPF factory, which was closed down, has largely been taken over by native forest trees and is home to a variety of rare and endangered species of wildlife, say conservationists.

With proposals to turn the area into an adventure park, tidel park, film city and other alternative projects being considered, conservationists say that any plans to redevelop the area could lead to more negative human-animal interactions, and that such projects could also displace wildlife that have found a peaceful niche for themselves around the HPF factory premises.

“Over the last three years, four different sightings of tigers have been recorded around the factory, while leopards are even more common. As there have been no negative interactions recorded between people and wildlife in the area, the government should consider returning the land that the HPF building is currently on back to the Forest Department for better protection,” said a conservationist from the Nilgiris.