Lone tiger that sparked hopes of big cat revival in Barnawapara sanctuary moved away after wandering into town

On Thursday, the four-year-old male tiger was sighted in Kot village of Kasdol Tehsil within the Baloda Bazar Forest Division, venturing perilously close to human habitations, posing a potential threat, said a forest official.

It entered Kasdol town on the same day where it came near a market where paddy was being sold. The big cat attracted the attention of over a thousand people as it moved near the town.

A team of around 60 officials and men from forest and police departments along with two elephants and a JCB machine were brought for the rescue operation.

A specialised rescue team comprising wildlife experts, veterinary officers, and frontline forest personnel was assembled. The team adhered to NTCA protocols, ensuring a precise and incident-free rescue operation.

“The biggest challenge was crowd management while rescuing the tiger as people wanted to see the animal,” said Mayank Agrawal, Divisional Forest Officer of Baloda Bazar.

The forest officials were tracking the tiger using drones and a thermal drone. On Thursday afternoon around 1 pm the Tiger went and sat in a dense patch of trees and the officials were able to spot him using a thermal drone. A doctor, using a JCB machine, was able to spot and transquilise the big cat with a dart gun.

After a thorough health check-up, the tiger was transported to the new Tiger Reserve in a specially designed cage to minimise stress and the risk of injury.

A radio collar has also been fitted to the tiger to enable continuous tracking in its new environment.