Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve forest team rescued a tiger that was injured in a territorial fight with another feline in North Shahdol.
The rescued tiger has been kept inside an enclosure and its activities are being monitored closely, officials said. The decision to release it into the wild again will be taken once it recuperates.
Sources at the Tiger Reserve told Free Press that on January 26, two tigers fought with each other in the Vanchachar beat of the Jai Singh Nagar range in North Shahdol. Suspecting that the tigers might have been injured in the fight, forest officials rushed to the area but failed to trace either of the big cats.
It was on January 29 that an elephant squad spotted an injured tiger, following which a rescue operation was carried out. A dart drug was used to tranquilise the big cat, and primary treatment was started after a thorough check-up. Later, the tiger was brought to the Behreha enclosure of Bandhavgarh.
The tiger is limping due to a leg injury, and its health condition is being monitored closely. Its hunting skills are also being assessed, said officials. This will help officials analyze whether it is fit to be released into the wild.
When contacted, Field Director Anupam Sahay said that a search is underway to locate the second tiger, as it too might have suffered injuries in the territorial fight.
Two bears found dead in Bandhavgarh
A six-year-old female bear and an around 18-month-old male bear were found dead in the Kamha beat of the Manpur buffer area in Bandhavgarh on January 29. The corpses of the two animals were found at some distance from each other. The autopsy report suggested that the duo were killed by another wild animal. The bodies of the two bears were burnt as per protocol on Friday.
Rescued tiger cub shifted into bigger enclosure
One of the two rescued tiger cubs was shifted to a bigger enclosure at Baheraha in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve on Friday. Kept at Batan Bada, around eight-month-old tiger required a larger enclosure. Notably, another cub, which was female, had escaped from the enclosure on January 1 when forest officials tried to shift it to the bigger enclosure.
