The big cat, under threat of extinction, followed the course of the river from the Pilibhit reserve area and is parked on Balughat islet for the past eight months.

Wildlife expert Rahul Shukla, who monitored the tiger for two days earlier this month, said, "Balughat is a very small island. It is sure to be submerged once the water level in the river goes up. With no way to go back to, it will run towards human settlements. The forest department must take quick action to relocate the tiger." The tiger has already preyed on cattle from the village.

According to him, conservationists have alerted the forest dept on the issue but allege inaction on the part of officials.

Chief conservator of forests Rupak De confirmed the tiger had been staying on the island for eight months.

"If the water level increases, I am sure the tiger will swim back to its original home. A team is monitoring it," De said.

According to him, the animal has not disturbed humans till now and the preying on cattle is also infrequent. The forest department did not want to disturb the animal, De added.

However, he did not deny that there was a chance of a man-animal conflict. "The entire Terai region is a man-animal conflict zone," De said. The Kanpur area though is not part of the Terai region.

"No tiger has ever returned after straying in this area," said Shukla about De's assumption. "Where the animal came from is 300 km away from its present location. Besides, if the tiger does choose to go back, it will have to do so against the current."

Another fear that Shukla, former honorary wildlife warden of Dudhwa National Park, expressed was that of the tiger being poisoned.

"If the villagers feel threatened, they might try to poison the tiger by adding pesticide to the remains of any animal it preys on. When the tiger comes for a second feed, it will be poisoned."

Conservationists say the tiger is also vulnerable to the poaching menace.

SP STF Arvind Chaturvedi, who has cracked several poaching cases, said, "The tiger must be relocated before monsoon. I had an inclination to get it monitored by drones from our department to protect it. I don't understand what the forest department is waiting for."

"My worst fear is that shooting orders would be ordered if the animal strays into a village and attacks humans. All because of the forest department's laxity," Shukla, the author of 'Sugarcane Tigers', said.

The tiger's pugmarks have been seen in Naughat, Ganga barrage south, Satyanarain jhala and Kanwapur jhala, where it recently killed a bullock. No compensation has been ordered by the forest department for any animal the tiger has killed.