Injured tiger safe after rescue in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: An injured male tiger was safely rescued by the Indravati Tiger Reserve team in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh and shifted to Naya Raipur’s Nandanvan Jungle Safari for treatment and recovery.
On April 13, local villagers from the Bijapur buffer zone of the Indravati Tiger Reserve reported a limping tiger roaming in the area, said Tiger Reserve Deputy Director Sundeep Balaga. “The tiger, which is estimated to be four-five years old, was shifted to Jungle Safari, Naya Raipur, on Thursday morning.
The tiger is responding well and is expected to recover from its injury within a month. Once fully recovered, the tiger will be released into the forests of the Indravati Tiger Reserve. The tiger belongs to Chhattisgarh,” Balaga added.
On April 16, a search operation was initiated by the Indravati Tiger Reserve and a team from Nova Nature Welfare Society. The two-day operation succeeded in locating the tiger. After monitoring, the tiger was found to be limping and weak. Following the directives of authorities, a team including veterinary experts conducted an operation to tranquilize and check the tiger. They found a clutch wire snare stuck in its hind leg, which had severely injured the animal and obstructed its movement.
Thanks to the swift response from the Indravati Tiger Reserve, the tiger was safely rescued and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Jungle Safari, Naya Raipur.
Forest department sources said that a possible poaching attempt cannot be ruled out. Scars on the tiger's leg suggest it might have been caught in a wire laid by poachers.
The Indravati Tiger Reserve is known for its rich biodiversity and is a habitat for wild buffalo and tigers in Chhattisgarh.
The rescue operation was conducted under the supervision of PCCF (Wildlife) Sudhir Agrawal and CCF (Wildlife) R.C. Dugga, and under the direction of Deputy Director Sundeep Balaga.