Kolkata, Jun 3 (PTI) The forest department of the West Bengal government will soon put up new nylon nets over a stretch in the Sunderbans to stop tigers straying into human habitations by swimming across the creeks crisscrossing the area, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Of the 85 km-long nylon nets put up along the entire stretch separating Sunderban’s core areas with villages, old nets in 56 km is expected to be replaced by September, the forest official told PTI.

The new nylon fencing work will be undertaken in parts of Ajmalmari, Herobhanga in Raidighi belt, in Nagenabad, Deulbari and Kishori Mohanpur under Kultali belt.

She said that the tender for the project has already been floated.

Since January, at least five cases of tigers straying into villages in Kultali belt had been reported where the big cats swam across creeks, stayed in the thick bushes near localities before heading back to their old habitat or captured and released in deep jungle by forest personnel.

In one case, a tiger pounced on a forest department staff during an operation in February seriously injuring him.

In areas – where replacement process has begun – nets were earlier put up in 2021.

“It is a continuous process as the nets are replaced in phases whenever there is a need. The life span of a net is usually for five years,” the official said. PTI SUS NN