The trapped tiger has been quarantined at the ARC in Visakhapatnam.
VISAKHAPATNAM: A three-year-old tiger, which was tranquilized in Kurmapuram village of East Godavari district, was shifted to the Animal Rescue Centre (ARC) near the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam on Saturday morning under the supervision of veterinary doctors and forest personnel.
The centre is currently vacant after the death of lioness Bigo last month. The tiger had strayed from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra and had been eluding capture for the past 17 days.
“The tiger strayed from its siblings in Tadoba, entered Telangana, and from there, it came to Andhra Pradesh,” said Conservator of Forests Mohammed Diwan Mydeen.
He said the animal was found to be healthy and is being kept away from humans as it was raised in the wild. Only two people are allowed near the enclosure – one to provide food and the other to clean the cage and collect fecal samples. The fecal samples are being collected for lab tests to detect any bacterial infections, as the tiger had spent most of its journey in the forest.
The conservator said the animal is currently being given electrolytes as it was exhausted after running for several days.
When asked about future course of action, he said that according to the guidelines, the tiger should be released back into the wild as it came from its natural habitat. A high-level committee of experts will be constituted to decide on the release of the animal. The guidelines include assessing the tiger’s health, conducting health checks such as vaccination and parasite testing, fitting a radio collar for monitoring after release, and selecting a suitable habitat with sufficient prey and away from human settlements.
Years ago, a panther that had strayed into Visakhapatnam city and was later captured was released into the Chintapalli forests, which now fall under the ASR district.
