West Bengal: Fishing cat on CCTV spreads tiger panic

KONNAGAR: A fishing cat caught on a CCTV camera on Monday at Kanaipur of Hooghly’s Konnagar sparked panic among the locals after they mistook it for a tiger. The footage was scanned by the security staff of a local grille factory.
The security guards of the factory, along Delhi Road, started their shift with a routine scan of the previous night’s CCTV footage on and around the premises.While doing so, they were stunned to discover a ‘tiger-like’ animal walking past a goods carrier parked outside the factory.
Soon, word about a “a tiger on the prowl” in the area spread. The panicked factory workers and locals started looking for the animal. The forest department, local panchayat office and Uttarpara police were informed. Panchayat pradhan Acchelal Yadav and Uttarpara IC Suprakash Patnaik arrived at the spot and appealed to the people to remain calm.
“We even sent out a team that went around Kanaipur with a microphone and urged the people not to panic,” said Yadav.
Munna Ray, a factory worker, said, “Earlier, we spotted pug marks on the fields in the area. Looking at the CCTV footage, we were absolutely sure that a tiger was roaming in the area.”
Chandernagore police commissioner Humayun Kabir said, “The forest department has been informed. The animal in the CCTV footage was a fishing cat, which is yet to be caught. We are trying to ensure that people don’t kill the animal.”
State forest minister Rajib Banerjee, too, confirmed that the animal was indeed a fishing cat and not a tiger.