Bhubaneswar: The villagers are in a state of panic as the pugmarks of a Royal Bengal Tiger were found in Salapdih forest under Banpur block in Odisha’s Khurda district.

The Forest department has confirmed the presence of a tiger in Salapdih forest after examining the pugmarks found in some nearby areas.

According to villagers, a wild animal had killed a bull near a temple at Jholasahi, located close to the forest, in the night hours of September 20.

The villagers informed the incident to the Forest department after the half-eaten carcass of the bull was found in a paddy field the next day.

The officials of the Forest department rushed to the spot and examined the pugmarks found in the locality. They later confirmed that the pugmarks were that of a Royal Bengal Tiger.

It is being suspected that the tiger might have been migrated to Salapdih from some other forests in Odisha.

“We will take the help of drone cameras to know the exact location of the tiger in Salapdih forest,” said Tangi ACF Debasis Bhoi.

The Forest department has asked the residents of the nearby villages not to venture into the forest alone, said Nachuni Forester Purnachandra Behera.