A lot of Guwahatians had the shock of their lives with the news of wild Royal Bengal Tiger swimming on Brahmaputra river. The tiger managed to reach the Umananda Island and hid itself in one of the many crevices between the rocks.
Initially spotted by a construction worker, it was initially thought to be leopard. Only later when the forest department people as well as the journalists arrived at the spot that people realized that it was a tiger.
All ferry services on Brahmaputra between the North and South banks in Guwahati were immediately closed off. People on the island were evacuated by the Inland Water Department and local authorities. The rescue operations started soon after the evacuation. A large team comprising of State Disaster Response Force, Forest Department, Inland Water Transport Department and local administration was involved in the operation on the island.
The island houses an old temple which is a popular destination for tourists coming to the region. Several shops are also present to help with the needs of the pilgrims. At the time of the incident, there were multiple tourists, priests, shopkeepers and construction workers were present.
Although details are not known, people are speculating that the tiger came from the North Bank of the Brahmaputra river. But there was no proof of existence of the big cat at that location
The team of experts made proper arrangements to rescue the trapped tiger. The team failed to tranquilize the tiger in the first attempt but succeeded in the second one after nightfall. It was then pulled out of the crevice and taken for a medical examinations by the competent authorities.
