Belagavi: A tiger on the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) campus at Mache village on the outskirts of the city on Monday morning triggered panic among students and staff.
Sources said the tiger was sighted by Shivaraj Hugar, a Master of Computer Application student from Kalaburagi, near a tennis court of the varsity on Monday morning.
He ran into the gymnasium and informed the instructor and the police. ome women harvesting sweet potato on the other side of the compound screamed after they heard the tiger’s roar.
A Forest Department team’s effort to trap the animal went in vain. The Rapid Response Unit (RRU) of the Forest Department team, led by Assistant Conservator of Forest Shivanand Nayakwad, rushed to the spot but the tiger was still elusive.
Pug marks that resembled that of a tiger were seen.
However, officials could not confirm as the marks were smaller in size. The team, consisting of wildlife expert Sanjay Gubbi, Dr Prayag H S and 20 personnel, resumed the search on the VTU campus later.
The thick bushes hampered the search.
Later, a member of the team sighted the tiger barely 2 metres away.
A forester immediately fired in the air to avert an attack, and the team had a lucky escape.
On confirmation of the presence of the tiger around 3 pm, the team arranged for tranquiliser darts, and continued the search.
The tiger remained elusive till late on Monday evening. The officials are currently camping on the varsity premises.
Nayakwad said that they would resume their search on Tuesday. Deputy Commissioner N Jayaram directed the team to capture the animal at the earliest.
