A tigress that was rescued last month by the forest department from an irrigation dam near Nagpur was set free on late Sunday night.
According to forest department officials, the big cat was radio-collared before being released into the forest. Wildlife biologist Vidya Athreva radio-collared the tigress at the Seminary Hills nursery where the tigress was confined for a month and a half after being rescued from a canal of Gosikhurd dam near Bhiwapur, some 100 kms from Nagpur last month.
The tigress, while chasing its prey, fell into a 30-foot deep pit of a lift irrigation canal near Taas village of Bhiwapur tahsil in Nagpur district and was rescued by the forest personnel on October 13. A team of forest personnel, comprising tranquilizer experts and veterinarians, reached the spot and succeeded in rescuing the big cat.
Later, the tigress was taken to the wildlife orphanage at Seminary Hills, Nagpur and was being given proper medical care. The big cat was kept under observation and treatment and was later shifted to an undisclosed forest area where it was kept for an entire day before being released late Sunday night.
Kishore Mishrikotkar, the assistant conservator of forests (wildlife), however, refused to inform the forest area where the tigress had been released. "I can tell you that a tigress was radio-collared before released to help us monitor its behavior, location and other information," he said.
According to him, the wildlife experts, Vidya Ahreva and Anuruddha Belsare came from Chennai and Pune respectively, for tagging the radio collar onto the tigress.
{{/usCountry}}According to him, the wildlife experts, Vidya Ahreva and Anuruddha Belsare came from Chennai and Pune respectively, for tagging the radio collar onto the tigress.
{{/usCountry}}This is the second case this year after another tigress was successfully released in the forest after being rescue. But this is the first time in the state wildlife department when a big cat was radio-collared.
CR Gajbhiye, the chief conservator of forest, Nagpur circle said that the name of the jungle was deliberately not disclosed for the welfare of the big cat. "Officials obtained a fitness certificate from the veterinary doctors who attended the tigress before releasing it in the jungle," he said.