KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, April 4: A hyena that had strayed into the steel city from the adjoining forest recently had a fatal fall from the railway overbridge in Burmamines on Monday morning.
After being spotted in the suburban Birsanagar area of the city a week ago and maintaining its illusive presence at various localities in the eastern parts of the city during this period, the wild animal was negotiating the railway overbridge towards Jugsalai in the morning. It got frightened by the vehicles coming from the opposite direction and suddenly jumped off the overbridge and died instantly.
OC, Burmamines thana, Raju confirmed the hyena’s death and seized the caracas for handing it over to the forest department.
“A hyena was killed after it apparently jumped off the railway overbridge about 30 feet down on Monday morning. We are trying to find out if anyone had chased the animal, compelling it to jump from the overbridge,” said Raju.
The OC said that during the investigation they came to know from a group of children that there was another hyena that might have hidden somewhere in the Burmamines area.
Divisional forest officer, Jamshedpur, Mamta Priyadarshi too confirmed the hyena’s death and said the forest department was carrying out an autopsy.
“We are conducting an autopsy of the hyena’s caracas to determine whether the wild animal died due to a fall from the railway overbridge or was killed by the local residents, ” the DFO said.
Priyadarshi, on being asked, said hyenas are nocturnal animals and move around in groups. She said the killed animal must have strayed into the city from Dalma hills.
The DFO also informed that another hyena is probably still in the city, claiming that the forest department was carrying out a search operation.
Significantly, earlier video clippings of the hyena’s movement in Birsanagar and Telco areas had gone viral a week ago, the Jamshedpur division of the forest department had claimed it to be a rumour.
