A tiger, which had strayed away from Manjhra Purab forests and killed a priest earlier this month, has been captured, officials said on Thursday.
The big cat, estimated to be about nine years old, was lured into a bait placed inside a cage near Baba Kuti on Manjhara-Khairatia road on Wednesday night, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve field director Sanjay Kumar Pathak said.
It had killed the priest in the same area on June 18, he added.
"During its examination, the big cat was found to be a female of about nine years. Its left canines were found to be worn out and broken, and they matched with bite injuries found on the priest's body," he said.
Amid heavy rains, the tigress was brought to the neighboring Katarniaghat range, where veterinary experts conducted her physical examination, Pathak said.
"The tigress will be kept under observation and an appropriate decision to shift it to some zoo would be taken as per NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) guidelines," the official noted.
In the late hours of June 27, the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve teams had captured another tiger from the same buffer zone.
The movement of several big cats is reported in the Manjhara Purab area, which serves as a corridor between Dudhwa and Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary.
