The experts, who are now camping in the Bhaiyarampurwa village in Faizabad, include former director of Dudhwa National Park, Chief Conservator of Forests Mahendra Singh, Research Officer A N Singh and department vet and big cat expert Dr Utkarsh Shukla.

Speaking to The Indian Express, A N Singh said: “The tiger’s behaviour has been very unpredictable. Since it is a juvenile, it was not following a set pattern and has been surviving purely on instincts. It is making a kill whenever it feels hungry.”

He added: “Now it has become harmful for human beings. Hence, we have decided to shoot him.”

Rajesh Gopal from NTCA said: “Though trapping was the first option, but now the department has been allowed to do whatever they feel is the best.” A three-member team from the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) is also assisting the department in its hunt. Ashraf, official spokesperson for WTI, said: “We are helping the forest department in combing operations. We are supporting them in whatever way we can.”

Meanwhile, the Forest department has deployed teams of shooters to kill the maneater tiger. Several villages have formed their own sqauds, armed with lathis, sharp-edged weapons and country-made firearms to kill the tiger which has so far killed three human beings.

Asked about such villagers’ squads, Faizabad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) O P Singh said: “These are illegal squads and if they killed any animal, they will be tried according to the law.”

While the maneater continues to elude forest officials, another big cat has been keeping officials on the tenterhooks in Ghazipur district for the last two days.

Ghazipur DFO R N Tiwari said: “It was probably the same tiger that had come from the jungles of nearby Bihar about 10 days ago.”

Till now, the tiger had killed some blue bulls and attacked three humans.

“We have no clue why this tiger has again entered an area which has very little forests,” he added.