Bhubaneswar: A seven-month-old tiger cub was rescued after it strayed into a house at Khaparakhai village under the Thakurmunda forest range in Mayurbhanj district, triggering panic among local residents.

According to forest officials, the cub had been moving around the village since Thursday night. After heavy rain, it entered the house of a villager, identified in the report as Jogendra Gagarai, and lay down inside. Jogendra’s son reportedly closed the door from outside and informed the forest department.

Forest personnel reached the spot and kept the animal under observation. As the cub was too small to be tranquillised, a trap cage was placed near the door. The cub subsequently entered the cage and was safely rescued.

The injured cub was taken to the Thakurmunda range office and will be shifted to Baripada for medical treatment. After it recovers, it will be kept in a special enclosure until it learns to hunt on its own. It will later be released into the Similipal Tiger Reserve, officials said.

The forest officials are trying to trace the mother of the cub.

Similipal Tiger Reserve Project Director Prakash Gogineni said the cub is around seven months old and is still too young to be completely independent. Tigers of this age normally remain with their mother and learn hunting skills from her.

Officials are examining camera-trap records and other available data to determine whether the cub had previously been photographed in the area and to establish the identity and whereabouts of its mother. They are also trying to ascertain whether other cubs may be with the tigress.

The incident has caused concern among wildlife lovers, as the cub was found alone outside the forest at an age when it would normally be accompanied by its mother.

The rescue also comes against the backdrop of continuing concerns over tiger protection in Similipal. The report notes that three melanistic, or black, tigers have died in the reserve in recent years amid allegations of poaching. Two black tiger skins were seized in March and May, and 17 persons were arrested in two cases in connection with alleged trafficking.

Forest officials said further monitoring would be carried out to determine whether the rescued cub had become separated from its mother and, if so, what happened to her.