Second captured tiger in Dudhwa released back into jungle

The tiger got its freedom after wildlife experts concluded that it was not responsible for human killings reported in Khairatiya and other neighbouring villages bordering the buffer zone area of Dudhwa forest

The tiger that was captured by the forest department on June 28 from Kheratiya village in the buffer zone area of Dudhwa forest was eventually released back into the deep jungle, away from the human population, on late Monday night.

The tiger was captured by the forest department on June 28 from Kheratiya village in the buffer zone area of Dudhwa forest. (file photo)

“The tiger was released into the core area of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) in the late evening hours of Monday. We have placed the radio collar on the tiger before release to track its movement,” said Akash Deep Badhwan, divisional forest officer (DFO), Katarniya Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS).

The tiger got its freedom after wildlife experts concluded that it was not responsible for the human killings reported in Khairatiya and other neighbouring villages bordering the buffer zone area of Dudhwa forest.

The tiger got trapped in a special operation that was launched to catch the man-eater big cat that had killed around six people within 45 days. It was during this operation that the tiger got trapped in a cage installed to catch the man-eater big cat.

“A day after the tiger was captured, another big cat was caught from the same village that was found responsible for the frequent human killings. The captured big cat was a nine-year-old tigress whose left canines were broken and worn out. The experts found that to be the reason for it becoming a man-eater,” a forester official said.

Officials said the tiger was found healthy, and all four of its canines were intact. Senior wildlife scientist Dr Parag Nigam also visited the KWS and analysed the tiger’s behavioural and physical condition on Saturday. The experts found the tiger was not guilty of human killing and came to the conclusion that it would be fit to release the tiger back into the forest. A report was sent to the chief wildlife warden (CWW) of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, and after getting approval from the CWW the tiger was sent back to the Dudhwa buffer zone to be released on Monday night.

The forest authorities took about a week to decide the fate of the captured tiger. DFO Badhawan said to keep the tiger calm and healthy.